Plot Compass For Creating Gameboards and Moving Pieces

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a strategy game that uses a new game device, called a plot compass, that enables two or more players to create a custom gameboard map with tiles of congruent regular polygons. The different circumstances by which these plot compasses create new types of tile allows the game to mark such tile types differently. Differently-marked tiles can signify different kinds of terrain, such as allied or enemy houses of any given individual player—houses that can be as short as one-story huts, or as tall as multi-story towers. When other circumstances create other types of tile, they can be marked as natural terrains that are player-neutral, like mountains, plains, or lakes, along with one cratered hole, and one volcano that can shift its position vis-a-vis all the other tiles during each round of tile creation. Such terrains together can form, in each game, the distinctive geography of a customized one-of-a-kind gameboard, each gameboard resembling an irregularly-shaped island of Micronesia, surrounded by sea.The invention also relates to one or more players using such a plot compass to move pieces from their resident, occupied tiles to land on targeted tiles on that same gameboard. Hence any player can engage in competitive acts of gameboard creation and gameboard piece movement, solely by using this plot compass device, acting with other players during rounds of simultaneous play.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (07) Field of Invention

The present invention relates generally to board games and board game devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device, called a plot compass, that coordinates the placement of tiles in a particular way to create a gameboard of terrain spaces that is customized for every game, and playable on any flat two-dimensional surface, such as a tabletop or floor, or else displayed on a computer-monitor image of such a flat surface. Once a gameboard is created, whether via the invention or via other means, the plot compass device may be used to direct any piece from its resident tile to a targeted tile. By using this plot compass, the game can avoid employing any element of chance to determine any game event, from the creation of the gameboard to the movement of pieces on the gameboard, thus enabling the game to achieve standing as a contest of pure strategy, from start to finish.

Major Defects of Strategy Games in the Prior Art

What exactly is a strategy game? A strategy game is defined by Wikipedia as a “game in which the players' uncoerced and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the [game's] outcome (search for “Strategy Game” from within the Wikipedia.org website). The encyclopedia discussion goes on to state that most strategy games “require internal decision tree-style thinking, and typically very high situational awareness.”

For the purposes of this application, a pure strategic board game may be simply defined as a game between two or more players, involving the manipulation of board game spaces and/or pieces, where the situational decisions of one player versus that of other players solely determines victory. If an intervening element of random chance (as when contested outcomes are determined by a throw of dice) instead tilt such individual board game outcomes, then that board game loses its stature as a pure strategy game.

Given these precepts, one may make a search of the prior art of popular strategic board games, from ancient times to the present day, only to discover that all such games suffer from at least one of three critical defects, and frequently suffer from all three of these defects.

The first strategic board game defect is 1) an nth-mover potential advantage as a first (or second, or last) turn-taking advantage, which introduces a random element (who takes a turn when?) into the game that can tilt one player with an undeserved advantage in an alleged strategy game that should only reward pure skill. Turns (one player following the most recent player) are frequently presumed to provide such advantage because one player has developed an evolved position that is ahead of all others. As we will see, Chess and Go are prime and proven examples of games suffering from this defect, as well a tile-based game named Hive. Also, every tile-based game discovered in the patent search list provided herein also suffers from such an nth-mover potential advantage.

The second defect is 2) the replicated placement of pieces to start on the same designated spaces of the very same gameboard, causing a repeatable number of predictable starting moves. Because of this defect, advanced players must memorize and play rehearsed openings, up to a certain number of moves, because the effectiveness of such openings is so well known to the advanced-play community. Because of this design defect, advanced players initially face a very familiar strategic situation until a gross number of twenty or forty player individual player turns later, when the game transitions into what is frequently called the “middlegame.” For any strategic board game suffering from this defect, players who refuse to memorize nuances of standard openings are at a crippling disadvantage against advanced players. Again we will find that Chess and Go, and a game called Diplomacy, suffer from this defect.

The third defect is 3) the introduction of a random chance to determine various game outcomes between opposing parties, such as by rolling dice to see who wins a battle. The more often this random element is introduced into the game, the less strategic skill is needed to win the contest. We will find that many war games, like Risk, and Russian Campaign and Wooden Ships and Iron Men, suffer precisely from this flaw.

The Prior Art of Strategy Games

A review of the most notable strategic board games (from Ur—dating from the days of Ancient Babylon—to Hive in the 21^(st) Century) reveals that, often by common consensus, when at least one of these three defects exist, players longing to employ their strategic talents to eke out a win enjoy that game less, because the winning side cannot solely attribute success to smart decision making. Rather than exhaustively review all such games for the purposes of this application, we will examine the most popular board game designs in strategy, namely Chess, the universal Chess variant called Fischer Random Chess, Go, Risk, and some war games from Avalon Hill, including Diplomacy. We will also briefly examine some tile-based games known from their patent application filings.

Chess.

Arguably Chess is one of the most popular strategic board games today. The modern rules of Chess were first developed in India and Europe around 1000 CE and evolved during the Middle Ages up until the present day.

Unfortunately, Chess suffers from the first and second defects of most strategy games. (As we recall, the first defect is nth-mover potential advantage.) As to the very first flaw, players indeed do take turns, with White going first, therefore providing a substantial first-mover advantage to White. But does this provide an advantage?

According to statistics provided by Wikipedia, during the year 2015, on the top chess website Chessgames.com, 37.5% of all online classical games between human players were won by White, only 27.6% of such games were won by Black (an edge to White of almost 10% of all games), and the remaining 34.9% of such games resulted in draws. In a test tournament between chess engines on computers in 2009 at CEGT (Chess Engines Grand Tournament), classical games had a similar ten percent edge for White, where White won 34.7%, Black won 24.0%, and Draws were at 41.3%. See (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-move_advantage_in_chess.) This 10% edge is also evident among advanced players. In all of the World Championship games played in classical time (rather than speedier time versions) on a tabletop, from 2010 to 2018, 17% were won by White, only 7% won by Black, with the rest (more than 75%!) as Draws. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Chess_Championships.

Chess also suffers from the second defect, which is the replicated placement of pieces to start on the same designated spaces of the very same gameboard, causing a repeatable number of predictable starting moves. Chess features a standard placement of pieces that oppose each other on a horizontally and vertically symmetric gameboard, with an 8×8 grid of 64 squares of two alternating light and dark colors as moveable spaces for opposing White and Black pieces. Because all pieces are initially placed into a single standard position, the best opening move sequences need to be memorized by advanced players. In advanced play, sophisticated chess does not begin to be novel until the middlegame. Sometimes opening move sequences are so lengthy that they persist until most pieces are captured, and players are left only to calculate their drawing chances in the endgame. Indeed, according to Wikipedia, a whopping 75% of the 80 classical games played for the world championship from 2010 to 2018 ended in draws, due to the top contenders having memorized many “safe” neutralizing sequences of long, unfolding openings. See (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Chess_Championships.)

Thus Chess suffers greatly from both 1) nth-mover potential advantage, resulting in a disproportionate and true advantage to White, and 2) the replicated placement of pieces to start on the same designated spaces of the very same gameboard, causing a repeatable number of predictable starting moves, resulting in standard openings favorizing only those with prodigious memory. These standard openings endure for ten, twenty, or many more moves, or even past the “middle” game. These two flaws greatly reduce the enjoyability of chess for both beginner and advanced players.

Fischer Random Chess

Standard chess has been modified over many centuries to create chess variants. The most popular recent chess variant is Fischer Random Chess, invented by Bobby Fischer, which is now played as a top tournament among the best players. In Fischer Random Chess, there are almost 960 viable variations of the standard position of starting White and Black pieces. Wikipedia remarks that “the random setup makes gaining an advantage through the memorization of openings impracticable; players instead must rely more on their spontaneous talent and creativity over the board.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fischer_random_chess.)

Thus the second defect in standard chess, namely 2) the replicated placement of pieces to start on the same designated spaces of the very same gameboard, causing a repeatable number of predictable starting moves, is removed in this variant. Unfortunately, the first defect of 1) nth-mover potential advantage, remains very real. According to the most recent survey of 1.4 million Fischer Random Chess games between various chess engines alternatively acting as White and Black, running on computers, White won 41.6% of the time, Black won 36.5% of the time, and Draws took place 21.9% of the time, with White thus maintaining a 5% winning advantage overall. See https://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/16344/winning-percentage-in-chess-960.

Go.

Another popular strategic board game, Go, originated in ancient China, and in its most advanced form, displays a 19×19 grid of 361 points, as spaces for the placement of black and white stones. The players take turns with Black going first, therefore conferring a 1) nth-mover potential advantage, to Black. Thus Go suffers from this first defect. The first-player turn advantage to player Black in a championship or advanced player game is very high, worth about 5 to 7 White stones captured, which requires in Korea and many surrounding countries a handicapping compensation, counted in stones, locally called komi, that are awarded to player White, only because White goes second.

Go presents a horizontally and vertically symmetric board, but without antagonistic pieces already set up on the board in a starting position, as in Chess. In each game of Go, the individually-placed stones of one player are coordinated in such a way so as to surround and capture the stones of the opposing player. Because of the structure of the gameboard, there are symmetric, mirrored, and balanced openings to Go that are well known, frequently guiding predictable, reactive play regarding the placement of stones. While this defect in Go is not as heavily deterministic as in games like Chess, Go still requires memorization of opening move “patterns” by advanced players, which shows the persistence of the second defect, namely, 2) the replicated placement of pieces to start on the same designated spaces of the very same gameboard, causing a repeatable number of predictable starting moves.

Thus Go, in its pure form, like Chess, suffers greatly from both 1) nth-mover potential advantage, and 2) the replicated placement of pieces to start on the same designated spaces of the very same gameboard, causing a repeatable number of predictable starting moves, which, though starting out empty of any and all pieces, nonetheless results in predictable opening patterns of moves.

Some Asymmetric Board Games: Risk, Out-of-Print Examples of Avalon Hill Board Games, Diplomacy

Strategic games played on replicated gameboards displayed as asymmetric maps of the Earth are much less popular than Chess or Go. Such gameboard asymmetry is most often found in war games. A most popular example of a war game is the game of Risk, from Hasbro, where the gameboard displays various continents that are separated further by arbitrary borders separating out different “nations.” During combat, battles are resolved by throwing dice, with attackers typically having built-in disadvantages compared to defenders. The element of pure chance for the resolution of conflict in Risk is so strong that most adult players disdain Risk as a strategic board game, because skillful strategy does not trump luck as the determining factor in intermediate or final outcomes of the game. Thus Risk suffers greatly from the third defect, namely 3) the introduction of random chance to determine various game outcomes between opposing parties.

Situation or scenario war games like those published by the Avalon Hill company in the 1970s and 1980s, like the discontinued two games Russian Campaign, and Wooden Ships and Iron Men, have irregular maps that are divided into uniformly latticed hexagons of land or water. Land spaces in such vintage wargames are sometimes differentiated by different types of terrain, which can confer special advantages or disadvantages in either piece movement or piece combat capabilities when engaged in either offense or defense. Players with pieces engaged in combat can seek advantage, by choosing to make combat when random odds improve, resolving such conflict by rolling dice. Thus these games suffer, just like Risk, from the third defect, namely 3) the introduction of random chance to determine various game outcomes between opposing parties. Thus, by reason of the shared flaw in design in resolving battlefield outcomes, these sophisticated adult war games are in some ways very similar to the more primitive game of Risk.

The multi-player game of Diplomacy, first published in the US in 1959, and as of this patent application filing date a trademarked game of the Avalon Hill division of Hasbro, is very close to a completely pure strategic board game—not only a war game, but a game of tenuous relationships of short- and long-term cooperation, competition, transaction, guile, honesty, betrayal, and cut-throat diplomacy among up to seven players, before, during, after individual battles of navy fleets and army infantries. The map in Diplomacy is an accurate geographic and political map that is centered on Europe, and truly asymmetric, with Russia and the Balkans on the east side, North Africa and the Mediterranean Sea on the south side, Portugal, Spain, Great Britain, Ireland, and Iceland on the west side, and Norway, Sweden, and Finland on the north side. Unlike Risk, there is no randomized luck by the roll of dice in Diplomacy to resolve conflicts. To eliminate first-turn advantage, the players in Diplomacy all follow their written logged orders to move armies or navies simultaneously during each round of Spring or Fall for each year starting in 1901. Thus none of the players suffer from any opponent having a turn-taking advantage. Yet, because the map and the initial placement of pieces is standard in every game, there is still a great deal of predictability as to the best openings by each of the competing countries, which is memorized by top players. Thus Diplomacy suffers greatly from the second defect, namely 2) the replicated placement of pieces to start on the same designated spaces of the very same gameboard, causing a repeatable number of predictable starting moves, as discussed here on this Diplomacy website:

http://uk.diplom.org/pouch/Online/Openings/interactive.html.

Tile Strategy Games: Hive and Other Games Cited in Recent Patent Applications

One way to remove the second defect, namely 2) the replicated placement of pieces to start on the same designated spaces of the very same gameboard, causing a repeatable number of predictable starting moves, is to lay down connective tiles in unpredictable ways, that, over time, establishes an irregular gameboard that is novel for every game, so that the starting arrangement of pieces on spaces is almost always brand-new.

A popular tabletop game that uses hexagon tiles to create potentially a different irregular board in every game is Hive, created by John Yianni, first published in 2001. In this game, the hexagon tiles serve as spaces, and some tiles double as pieces for elevated piece movement on top of those tiled game spaces, a movement performed by players moving one tile on top of other tiles. Each tile represents an insect with certain attack, defense, and movement capabilities and constraints.

However, new tiles are placed and moved on a turn-taking basis with one arbitrary color (either White or Black) going first. Thus Hive suffers from the first defect, namely 1) nth-mover potential advantage, here specifically first-mover advantage, because, in the standard game, and also in expansion set games, the first moving player, regardless of the color of that player, wins more often than the second. To counter this, a new expansion set, featuring another piece, was added to assist the second player in winning, or in manipulating agreed-player draws. Even with the option of using this expansion set, according to the international online game system Steam, as of Dec. 14, 2020, out of 34,872 recorded games, 45.9% of all Hive games were won by the first mover, and 40.1% of all Hive games were won by the second mover, which is almost a 6% advantage.

Other examples of games using modular tiles on a tabletop, discovered by the inventor's extensive patent searches, include U.S. 2014/0131949, U.S. Pat. No. 9,333,417, U.S. 2005/0206081, U.S. Pat. No. 6,893,020B1, KR 2004/0062612A, U.S. Pat. No. 9,931,564 B2, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,363A. These games can, with or without modifications, facilitate a different irregular array of placed pieces or tiles onto a regular symmetric gameboard, but they all also suffer from the first mentioned defect, namely 1) the nth-mover potential advantage, almost always a first-mover advantage.

Thus the prior art in the most popular (and most recent) strategy board games, including tile-based games, suffers greatly from at least one of the three identified defects. To express the problem in another way, the prior art in board games has not found a game whereby two or more players compete with each other by making only simultaneous moves, during each round, thus eliminating defect 1) nth-mover potential advantage; while also creating a customized gameboard that, over time, is highly likely to be irregular in shape or irregular in its distribution of marked spaces, thus ensuring that a standard opening theory cannot be a useful guide for moving pieces, thus eliminating the second defect 2) the replicated placement of pieces to start on the same designated spaces of the very same gameboard, causing a repeatable number of predictable starting moves, while also ensuring that all game outcomes, no matter how significant or insignificant, are determined solely by player skill, rather than any intervening element of random chance, thus eliminating the third defect 3) the introduction of random chance to determine various game outcomes between opposing parties.

In sum, the field of strategy board games is in dire need of a game driven by a novel, non-obvious, and greatly useful game device that, by process and method, first, enables a gameboard to be created and conquered competitively by players moving simultaneously, preventing any nth-mover potential advantage; that second, enables players to create a new customized gameboard in almost every game; that third, prevents any random element of chance being introduced into the game to tilt any game outcome; that fourth, resolves every conflict between enemy pieces only according to the relative strengths of the moves in a battleground; so that fifth, certain pieces move onto certain spaces on the gameboard, to win the game for the side demonstrating the greatest decision-making skill.

Such a revolutionary game device is the plot compass, introduced to the public in this patent application for the first time. In all presented embodiments, as demonstrated in the evolving claims and the unfolding illustrations, the plot compass indeed facilitates a game of pure strategy that rewards only shrewd decision-making in all situations of uncertainty.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION (08)

The invention at the heart of this patent application is a single device, namely a plot compass, that is duplicated and then provided on an individual basis to every player, so that every player can serve as a cooperative/competitive mapmaker. Later in the game, after such a map is completed (by means of the plot compass invention or otherwise), a plot compass is provided to every moveable piece that is placed on any tile (which by definition includes any spaces that are enclosed and allows a piece to stand inside or move upon it) on the gameboard. Some of these tiles may be houses painted with the designated color of a given player, or painted with the designated color of an opposing player. Other tiles may be a volcano named Chaos, a hole, a plain, a mountain, or a lake. The pieces, called starbugs, are moved by players using starbug plot compasses so that the starbugs can conquer and connect a specified number of houses together into a super-territory, called a dominion. The first player to connect a specified number of houses into such a dominion wins the game.

There are two phases to the game. The first phase is Gameboard Creation. Claim 1 through claim 12 relate to this first phase of the game. The plot compass of this phase is individualized to each player.

The second phase of the game is Gameboard Piece Movement, when conquest occurs. Claim 13 through claim 23 relate to this second phase of the game. The plot compass of this phase is individualized to each player piece.

The Gameboard Creation phase of the game in all embodiments starts with a special tile, called a seed tile, which, in later embodiments, is re-named as Chaos. The sides and corners and extra-dimensional aspects of this seed tile is overlaid by a “frame compass” that designates certain empty spaces that are either adjacent to, or, existing just above or below such a seed tile, as available spots for placing a new tile of land during each round of play. Each placement of a new tile of land is called a “plot.” For example, the frame compass may indicate an empty spot directly North or directly Southeast, of such a seed tile. If only one player selects such a particular direction by circling it on one's plot compass, that player plots the “terra” of a house in the empty spot there.

In the featured embodiment (realized at the completion of two dependent claims, namely claim 12, and claim 23, that are complete evolutions of two independent claims, namely, claim 1, and claim 13), the gameboard begins by choosing a template of a single polygon shape (a choice by player agreement of being either a square or regular hexagon) featuring a single solitary volcano, called Chaos, sitting on top of an ancient caldera, or cratered “hole.” Chaos, at the very beginning of the game, is thus surrounded on all sides and corners by a formless void of ocean.

In the featured embodiment of Gameboard Creation, an advanced compass of plotting action belongs to each player, and an advanced compass of plotting reaction belongs to the volcano Chaos. These advanced compasses are, respectively, called a player plot clock, and a Chaos reaction clock. These clocks do not keep time, but do have numerals, assigned to each direction originating on the compass. A plot clock facilitates the placement by players of new tiles next to Chaos, and a reaction clock facilitates the reaction of Chaos to that plotting, by dictating how Chaos moves.

Let us say that we are constructing a gameboard of square tiles. Thus the frame compass around Chaos can facilitate players plotting the same square shape in different places near Chaos, for example, at the empty spots for sides, corners, and extra-dimensional aspects above and below Chaos. Two sides, top and bottom, are North and South. Two other sides, left and right, are West and East. And four corners are Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest. Two extra dimensional aspects are Up and Down. Any one of these ten directions can specified by a player plotting new terras of land upon empty spaces adjacent to the Chaos volcano.

Each plotting of a new terra by each player is indicated by selecting a unique number, corresponding with a unique direction, from each player's plot clock. In a Basic Plot Clock, the Northeast direction, with the arbitrary numeral 2, is at the upper right corner of Chaos. The South direction, with the arbitrary numeral 5, is at the bottom side of Chaos. Chaos reacts to the sum of these player plots by shifting its physical position, and traveling by its discovered sum (2+5=7) in a dictated direction located where the numeral 7 is, which is West, leaving other already-formed terras behind in its wake. Round by round, each player dictates new numerals of new directions to a plot clock, which then dictates to an order log (within a notebook, or onto a computer interface) that selected numeral and its corresponding direction, whose plotting of a terra is executed simultaneously by the players and/or computer. After the final round of Creation, when all player plot clocks have been purposely terminated, Chaos rests, and a customized island, constructed with of contiguous terras of land, is completed.

In the featured embodiment, every type of terra designates a particular terrain. One such terra is a house, created when only one player plots onto a unique empty space adjacent to Chaos during a round of play. Each such house displays a distinctive making, like the color of the plotting player. For example, the player Black will plot a black house. White will plot a white house. A house may start off as a humble one-story hut, after just one plot on an empty spot. But extra stories of a house can also be built up by subsequent plots during later rounds, transforming that house from a hut into a multi-story tower.

Any complete set of connected houses on the island (from an isolated solitary group of one house to a connected group of many houses) sharing the same mark of a given player, qualifies as territory allied to that player. Every allied territory gives birth to exactly one allied player piece, called a starbug. Thus allied houses are very important to each player. In the featured embodiment of a square-terra gameboard, any player connecting a plurality of nine or more allied houses into a super-territory called a dominion wins the game.

Other types of terra can be created from the different circumstances of plot compass process and method. A mountain is a neutral terrain created when both players plot onto the same empty space near the island formation at the same time. Other neutral terrains, like plains, lakes (which qualify as both terras of land and as aquas of fresh water), a cratered hole, and the Chaos volcano, contribute other spaces of land to this island, all under different process and method circumstances. Every tile of the island gameboard is created 1) by the game at the beginning of Gameboard Creation, 2) by players selecting their moves on player plot clocks, or 3) by the Chaos volcano's deterministic yet surprising shifts via its reaction clock.

After the last round of the Gameboard Creation phase, the island is populated by starbugs, with a starbug born to each territory. The island is then surrounded on all sides and corners by aquas of salty sea. Other features of the island may optionally be added, such as canals and/or boats. After this Gameboard Population, the Gameboard Piece Movement phase begins. In every round of Piece Movement, each player selects a direction from the starbug's plot clock, to move that piece from its resident terra to a targeted terra on the island.

To review, in the very first embodiment of the Gameboard Creation phase of the invention, derived from the very first claim, a plot compass (a device that has compass directions without the substituting numerals) can be responsible for the creation of many hundreds of unique gameboards. Such a first embodiment is quite satisfying for beginner players wishing to play simple games of pure strategy, which resembles in many respects a tic-tac-toe game, but with no first-player movement advantage. Such games are ideal for the developmentally challenged, or for children, or for beginners wishing to be acquainted with the game.

In the very last and featured embodiment of Game Creation, the plot compass, now a very sophisticated plot clock, can be responsible for two players creating what is estimated to be many billions of unique gameboards. The estimate is roughly based on 9!×9!×9! combinations of the two plot clocks and of the Chaos reaction clock.

In all faithful game embodiments, that is, in the various embodiments that follow the claims of the invention wherever possible, the inventor believes that the previously-identified “Three Major Flaws” of strategy games have been vanquished.

Thus it is an object and an advantage, in every faithful embodiment of the invention, to have a plot compass that ensures, that there is 1) no nth-mover advantage, thus removing the very first identified defect of many strategy games in the prior art.

It is an object and an advantage, in every faithful embodiment of the invention, to have a plot compass as a game device that ensures that there is 2) no replicated placement of pieces to start on the same designated spaces of the very same gameboard, causing a repeatable number of predictable starting moves, thus removing the second defect of many strategy games in the prior art. Thus the plot compass facilitates strategic thinking oriented around a customized gameboard, which does not require advanced players to memorize and play lengthy predictable opening sequences in offence and defense before arriving for the first time at a novel strategic situation.

It is an object and an advantage, in every faithful embodiment of the invention, to have a plot compass as a game device that ensures that every game outcome always originates from strategic selections made from plot compasses controlled solely by players, thus removing the third defect of many strategy games in the prior art, namely 3) the introduction of random chance to determine various game outcomes between opposing parties.

It is an object and an advantage, in every faithful embodiment of the invention, to have a plot compass as a game device in a game that ensures that all three of the “Three Major Flaws” in the prior art are removed at the same time, so that players are instead compelled to rely on always improvising their best moves, where the directions of these moves are expressed solely through the device of a plot compass.

How these moves are selected by various players in always-novel situations alone determines game outcomes, thus updating, with this patent application, the modern meaning of a true and pure strategy game.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (9) A Brief Description of Figures

FIG. 1 a through FIG. 3 show various framing compasses.

FIG. 4 a through FIG. 35 show various plot compasses of two players, Black and White, alongside, in some cases, order logs of selections made from those plot compasses (which in the later part of this section are called plot clocks), and the gameboards whose tiles are either created by selections made from those plot compasses, or were created from scratch to enable such selections. (FIG. 15 , and Illustration Sheet 15, normally devoted to such a figure, is deliberately left blank.)

FIG. 36 through FIG. 41 show a variety of various gameboards that were created by simple selections made by two players, Black and White, from simple Basic Plot Clocks whose configuration was featured from FIG. 13 a through FIG. 35 .

FIG. 42 a through FIG. 43 are scrambled plot clocks wholly derived from Basic Plot Clocks.

FIG. 44 through FIG. 54 c show various plot compasses of the mobile pieces of Black and White, or show movement on the gameboard of mobile pieces from a resident tile to a targeted tile.

FIG. 55 a through FIG. 56 c show the movements of mobile pieces of Black and White from one end of a landstrand of tiles to the opposite end of that landstrand, via a portal connecting those two extreme ends.

FIG. 57 a through FIG. 68 b show the movements of mobile pieces of Black and White into a contested tile of conflict, and how that contested tile is resolved between or among players, with movements of plotted landings, plotted retreats, and removals of various pieces under different circumstances.

FIG. 69 shows an island created by plot clocks that is made with hexagons, as an alternative selection of shape from that of squares. The illustration shows the plot clocks that created the island, as well as the starbug pieces that are born to the two players, White and Black.

GLOSSARY OF INVENTION Adjacent

During Gameboard Creation, describing two neighboring tiles, that share a side or corner. During Gameboard Piece Movement, describing two neighboring tiles or tiles at the two extreme ends of any landstrand, that share a side or corner. Introduced in Independent claim 1, and Dependent claim 16.

Allied

Any house or any starbug that is under the control of a given player. Compare to “enemy.” Introduced in Dependent claim 2 and Independent claim 13.

Aqua

A tile or enclosed space of water that can be sometimes created by the game under the special circumstances of process and method of two different claims, as becoming either a lake tile or a sea tile, respectively during Gameboard Creation or Gameboard Population. Compare to “terra.” Introduced in Dependent claims 9 and 11.

Arbitrary

About a naming or illustrating decision: the discretionary labelling of an element of the game, that can be altered by choice by any user of the game, without changing in any way the process and method expressed in the patent claim that indisputably created that element, and without limiting the expansive coverage of any claim. Introduced in Independent claim 1, and in Independent claim 13.

Base Numeral System

A series of non-negative integers, starting from the 0 digit and counting by 1 up to a final maximum digit, whose total number of unique numerals exactly matches the number of unique directions found on a frame compass, to which such digits are assigned. Introduced in Dependent claim 6, and in Dependent claim 22.

Basic Plot Clock

A starter plot clock for the featured embodiment of the invention, where numerals are assigned to a terra shaped as a square, with four sides and four corners (clockwise from North to Northwest) pertaining to the respective four cardinal and four ordinal directions of a compass, with two additional directions for two extra-dimensional aspects (Up and Down). A total of 10 digits from 0-9 are assigned to these 10 directions: 1-8 for North clockwise to Northwest, 9-Up, and 0-Down. The directions of numerals 1-9 are selected for plot clock construction of new moves; 0-Down is selected for plot clock termination for ending further moves. Introduced in Specification, FIG. 17 .

Basic Chaos Reaction Clock

A Chaos reaction clock whose numerals are assigned identically to directions in the same arrangement as numerals assigned to directions in the Basic Plot Clock. Introduced in Specification, FIG. 17 .

Broken Support

When a starbug supporting an allied starbug plotting a landing onto a targeted terra has its own support cut off by the plotted landing of an enemy starbug onto its own standing terra, its support is broken, and the supportive starbug must either retreat to a safe haven or be removed from the gameboard. Introduced in claim 20.

Chaos

An arbitrary name first given to the seed tile in later claims of Gameboard Creation, when the seed tile begins to react to plot sums from all participating player plot clocks. Chaos is arbitrarily illustrated as a polygon of selected shape with a thick X centered inside. Introduced in Dependent claim 6, and in Dependent claim 16.

Chaos Reaction

During Gameboard Creation, the response of Chaos to the sum of all plotting actions by players on their respective plot clocks, manifested by Chaos moving or not moving in accordance with a found compass direction equal to the last digit of that sum. Introduced in Dependent claim 6.

Chaos Reaction Clock

During Gameboard Creation, a reaction compass assigned to Chaos that first duplicates all of the unique directions of the framing compass, and second assigns a unique numeral to each such unique direction, allowing Chaos to respond by moving or not moving to the sum of all player plots during the most recent round of play. Introduced in Dependent claim 6.

Congruent

About polygons: identical in size and shape, so that if any one was to be superimposed on top of any other, the two would not reveal any gaps or overlaps between them. Introduced in Independent claim 1, and in Independent claim 13.

Connected

Of any two tiles: attaching at a common side or corner, or attaching at the two extreme ends of any landstrand. Introduced in Independent claim 1, in Independent claim 13, and in Dependent claim 17.

Conquest Phase

The second period of gameboard development during which players maneuver pieces to plot landings onto terras, or else to plot supports of such landings from adjacent terras, each of which can sometimes be followed by plotted retreats. During this phase the over-riding goal of each player is to be the first to connect a specified number of allied houses together into a dominion. Also called a Piece Movement Phase. Introduced in Specification.

Constructive

During the phase of Gameboard Creation, any plotting in a direction that leads to the possibility of new land being formed. During the phase of Gameboard Piece Movement, any plotting that leads to the possibility of a piece landing, a piece providing support, or a piece moving in retreat. An example is plotting in any direction but Down on a Basic Plot Clock. Compare to “Destructive.”

Contested Terra

A terra that is the site of two or more players plotting landings during a round of Gameboard Piece Movement, resulting in conflict that needs to be resolved. Compare to “uncontested terra.”

Contiguous

Of a set of tiles: in contact with one another at any side or corner location. Introduced in Independent claim 1, and Independent claim 13.

Creation Phase

The first period of gameboard development during which the game creates or players plot various terras onto the gameboard so that one or more players can gain particular advantages going into the second period of gameboard development, namely the Piece Movement Phase. During Creation Phase it is possible to be the first player to connect a plurality of a specified number of allied houses together into a dominion, and win the game. Introduced in Specification.

Current Terra

During Gameboard Piece Movement, the most recent terra on which a player's piece is sitting during an unfolding round of play, from which there is vantage to plot a landing, or to plot a support, or to plot a retreat. Also called a Standing Tile. Introduced in Dependent claim 20.

Destructive

During any phase of Gameboard Creation or of Gameboard Piece Movement, any plotting in a commonly designated direction that terminates a plot compass, for example by plotting 0-Down on a Basic Plot Clock. Compare to “Constructive.”

Diagonal

A term in the game given to a direction, drawn from upper left to lower right, or from Northwest to Southeast. Contrast with Diogonal. Introduced in Specification, FIG. 39 , FIG. 55 .

Diogonal

A term in the game given to a direction, drawn from lower left to upper right, or from Southwest to Northeast. Contrast with Diagonal. Introduced in Specification, FIG. 49 , FIG. 55 .

Dominion

A cluster of a specified number of allied houses connected into a single territory whose number of houses is also greater that of any other player, to thereby win the game. For example, in the featured embodiment, a player must connect a plurality of nine or more houses together before any other player to win the game. This means that if two or more players connect nine houses during the same round of play, then the player who gains a plurality of houses above nine that is also greater than that of any other player wins the game. Introduced in Specification, before FIG. 1 , also at FIG. 21 .

Eligible

During Gameboard Creation, any allied house that can be legally accessed via a single slide or chain of such slides from Chaos to create a new terra from that current terra. During Gameboard Piece Movement, any allied house or Chaos that can be legally accessed via a single slide or chain of such slides from a starbug's resident terra to land a piece on a terra from that current terra. Introduced in Dependent claim 5, and in Dependent claim 16.

Eliminate

Removing an original plot direction as no longer selectable for plotting from a player plot compass during the Creation Phase of the game, or from a piece plot compass during the Piece Movement Phase of the game. Introduced in Dependent claim 4, and in Dependent claim 14.

Enemy

Any house or starbug that is under the control of another player. Compare with “allied.”

Exempt

For the expressed purpose of executing slides, any original direction of the frame compass is immune, and therefore exempt, from plot compass eliminations. This means that players in any round may use any original direction on the plot compass for sliding, without regard as to whether it has been used previously in any plotted action. Introduced in Dependent claim 5, and in Dependent claim 16.

Frame Compass

During the Creation Phase of the game, an arbitrary subset arrangement of the set exhausting all of the unique cardinal, ordinal, and all other directions surrounding the perimeter of the seed tile. During the Piece Movement Phase of the game, an arbitrary subset arrangement of the set exhausting all of the unique cardinal, ordinal, and all other directions surrounding the perimeter of any representative connective tile of the gameboard. Introduced in Independent claim 1, and in Independent claim 13.

Gameboard Creation

Synonymous to the Creation Phase. In a complete game, the earlier of two phases of gameplay, when players select directions from their individual plot compasses, to simultaneously plot down tiles to fabricate a customized map of connected, congruent, and contiguous terras, upon which pieces are born during Gameboard Population, and can later move, during Gameboard Piece Movement. Introduced in Independent claim 1.

Gameboard Piece Movement

In a complete game, the name for the later of two phases of gameplay, when players select directions from their piece plot compasses, to simultaneously plot the landings of one or more of those pieces onto tiles. Introduced in Independent claim 13.

Gameboard Population

An intermission between the two major phases of the game: Gameboard Creation, and Gameboard Piece Movement. In a complete game, after players have destroyed their player plot compasses, during Gameboard Population one starbug is born into each territory, and a sea aqua is placed to touch every outer side or outer corner of every terra of the created gameboard. Boats and canals can also be added to the gameboard at this time. Introduced in Dependent claim 11.

Halo

A round indicator to a newly plotted terra on the gameboard, that surrounds the terra in the terra's background immediately after it is plotted. Introduced in Specification FIG. 5 b.

Hole

An arbitrary name (sometimes capitalized) given to a tile created by the game process and method as a neutral terra under a special circumstance: the hole lies beneath Chaos upon the very beginning of Gameboard Creation, only to be exposed when Chaos vacates its first space by reacting to player plots on plot clocks. A hole is arbitrarily illustrated as a white polygon of selected shape with a shaded circle centered inside. Introduced in Dependent claim 8.

House

An arbitrary name given to a tile created by a player as an allied terra as a process and method of the game under a special circumstance: when only one player plots a terra onto an empty space during a round in the Creation Phase. A house can be a one-story hut or a multi-story tower, and is arbitrarily illustrated as a polygon of selected shape with a house inside bearing one or more roofs, each roof representing its exact number of stories, with the exterior of the house marked with the colored indicia of the player. Introduced in Dependent claim 2.

Hut

An arbitrary name given to a tile created by a player as an allied terra as a process and method under a special circumstance: when only one player plots a terra onto an empty space during a round in the Creation Phase. A hut is arbitrarily illustrated as a polygon of selected shape with a house inside bearing one roof, representing its number of stories, with the exterior of the house marked with the colored indicia of the player. Introduced in Dependent claim 10.

Indicated Spot

During the Creation Phase, the location of a space for a player to place a tile as a plot based on a directional pathway originating from the seed tile selected by the player from one's own plot compass. Introduced in Independent claim 1.

Intermission

Between the two phases of Gameboard Creation and Gameboard Piece Movement is the Gameboard Population Intermission, during which an allied starbug is born to each allied territory on the gameboard, and an aqua is added to touch every outer side and outer corner of every terra of the gameboard. Compare to “phase” and “round.” Introduced in claim 11.

Lake

An arbitrary name given to a tile, as a neutral terra framing a smaller aqua within, created by the game as a process and method under a special circumstance: when an empty space is surrounded on all sides by terras during any round during the Creation Phase. A lake is arbitrarily illustrated as a polygon of selected shape, representing the terra of land, wholly surrounding a smaller polygon of selected shape, representing the aqua of water. Introduced in Dependent claim 9.

Landing

During a round of Piece Movement, the action by one starbug to move into a targeted terra and attempt occupation. Introduced in Independent claim 13.

Landstrand

The maximum extension of a continuous chain of terras along any side-to-side, or corner-to-corner single axis of direction, whose extreme ends are coastally bracketed by sea aquas. A landstrand allows any starbug to plot or slide a departure from one extreme end of such an extent of terras only to arrive at the other extreme end of those terras, as if these two far ends were adjacent to each other, thereby sharing a common side or corner. Introduced in Dependent claim 17.

Merge

Taking all of the allied starbugs controlled by the same player landing into the same terra during the same round after winning that terra and combining them all into a single starbug inheriting only once each surviving direction of all of those landing starbugs. Introduced in claim 18.

Mountain

An arbitrary name given to a tile created by the game as a neutral terra as a process and method under a special circumstance: when two or more players plot a terra onto the same empty space within the same round during the Creation Phase. A mountain is arbitrarily illustrated as a polygon of selected shape with a lightly shaded triangle centered against a white background. Introduced in Dependent claim 2.

Movement Sequence

During Gameboard Piece Movement, the selected procedural order of every direction of a given piece selected from that piece's plot compass coupled with the number of spaces traversed for each such selected direction. Introduced in Independent claim 13.

Nullified

Rendered to have no effect. Introduced in Dependent claim 20.

Occupied Tile

During Gameboard Piece Movement, the tile on which a player piece is sitting at the very end of any given round of play. If the game continues to a next round, the occupied tile automatically turns into the resident tile of that player piece at the very beginning of that next round. Introduced in Dependent claim 18.

Order Log

The complete recorded detail of a player's move involving the plotting of a new terra during Gameboard Creation, or, alternatively, involving plotting a new landing by a starbug, a new support by a starbug, or a new retreat by a starbug, during Gameboard Piece Movement. An order log includes all directions of any slides and plots selected from a plot compass and the number of spaces chosen for each such direction during that round of the game. Introduced in Specification, FIG. 6 , FIG. 23 , FIG. 47 , FIG. 54 .

Original Direction

Any direction on a framing compass that is directly inherited by a player plot compass, Chaos reaction compass, or piece plot compass, regardless as to whether or not such a direction has been eliminated later by a plot on a player plot compass, or on a piece plot compass, during a round of play. Introduced in Dependent claim 5, and in Dependent claim 16.

Phase

One of two largest divisions of time of the invented game: the first being the Gameboard Creation Phase, the second being the Gameboard Piece Movement Phase. Sometimes the two respective phases are called first the Creation Phase and second the Piece Movement Phase. Each phase in turn is divided into numbered rounds. In between each phase is the Gameboard Population Intermission. Compare to “intermission” and “round.” Introduced in Specification, before FIG. 1 .

Piece

A generic name for a mobile unit that can be placed on tiles on the gameboard during Gameboard Population, and moved from its resident tile to a targeted tile by selecting one or more directions to plot a landing from a player's piece plot compass. Introduced in Independent claim 13.

Piece Movement Phase

In a complete game, the name for the later of two phases of gameplay, when players select directions from their piece plot compasses, on a round by round basis, to simultaneously plot the landings of one or more of those pieces onto targeted tiles. Introduced in Independent claim 13.

Plain

An arbitrary name for a tile created as a neutral terra by the game process and method under a special circumstance: a plain emerges from beneath Chaos if Chaos vacates an empty space to move to another empty space. A plain is arbitrarily illustrated as a polygon of selected shape that is shaded medium grey. Introduced in Dependent claim 7.

Player

A human or computer competitor in the game allowed to plot tiles as gameboard spaces during the Creation Phase of the game, and later allowed to plot landings of pieces onto those tiles during the Piece Movement Phase of the game. Introduced in Independent claim 1, and in Independent claim 13.

Player Plot Compass

A plot compass assigned to each individual player that is based on the template of the frame compass. Introduced in Independent claim 1.

Player's Mark

A distinctive name, color or some other sensed indicia that identifies plot compasses, terras, or pieces allied and controlled by a given player. Introduced in Dependent claim 2.

Plot

During Gameboard Creation, placing a new terra onto the gameboard. During Gameboard Piece Movement, landing a piece onto a terra, or retreating a piece from one terra to another terra, or supporting the landing of an allied piece onto a terra adjacent to such support. Introduced in Independent claim 1, and in Independent claim 13.

Plot Clock

During Gameboard Creation, a device that places a new terra onto the gameboard by allowing a player to specify a unique number assigned to a unique compass direction that surrounds Chaos, or else surrounds a terra found by sliding from Chaos. During Gameboard Piece Movement, a device that lands a piece onto a terra by allowing a player to specify a unique number assigned to a unique compass direction that surrounds the piece's resident terra, or else surrounds a terra found by sliding from Chaos. Introduced in Dependent claim 6, and in Dependent claim 22.

Plot Compass

During Gameboard Creation, a device that places a new terra onto the gameboard by allowing a player to specify a unique direction that surrounds the seed tile or that surrounds a terra found by sliding from Chaos. During Gameboard Piece Movement, a device that lands a piece onto a terra by allowing a player to specify a unique direction that surrounds the piece's resident terra or that surrounds a terra found by sliding from Chaos. Introduced in Independent claim 1, and in Independent claim 13.

Plotted Landing

Placing a starbug onto a targeted terra in an attempt to occupy it. Introduced in Independent claim 13.

Plotted Retreat

Making a starbug depart from a terra after it loses a contested terra and moving it to an empty allied house as a safe haven, all during the same round of play. Introduced in Independent claim 13.

Plotted Support

Reinforcing an allied starbug that is landing on a terra adjacent to this reinforcement during the same round of play. Introduced in Dependent claim 20.

Plurality

When calculating numerosity, any number of a game element consisting of two or more. When calculating the winner of a dominion, any number that is greater than that of a comparable number of another player. Introduced in Dependent claim 18.

Reaction Compass

A movement compass assigned to Chaos that is based on the template of the frame compass. Introduced in Dependent claim 6.

Representative

About a tile: an example that exhibits the properties of other tiles forming a gameboard. Introduced in Dependent claim 13.

Resident Terra

During Gameboard Piece Movement, a tile of land occupied by a piece at the very beginning of a round of play. Introduced in Independent claim 13.

Retreat

During Gameboard Piece Movement, the plotted movement away from a lost contested terra from a plotted landing, or from a current terra sited where plotted support was broken. Introduced in Dependent claims 19 and 20.

Round

A numbered division of time during which players decide how to manipulate individual plot compasses to plot a terra into the gameboard during the Gameboard Creation Phase, or to plot piece movement during the Gameboard Piece Movement Phase. Compare to “phase” or “intermission.” Introduced in Specification, before FIG. 1 .

Safe Haven

A house that is empty and allied to the player directing the movement of a retreating starbug. Introduced in claim 19.

Scramble

Taking the unique directional arrangement of all the numerals of a plot clock or of a reaction clock and replacing it with a different directional arrangement of those same numerals. Introduced in Specification, FIG. 42 , FIG. 67 .

Seed Tile

The first tile of a gameboard, created by the game under the process and method of a special circumstance: placed down surface-wise onto a flat plane, then bounded by directions on a frame compass surrounding it, around which other tiles can be plotted, by each player in possession of a plot compass that is based on that same frame compass. Introduced in Independent claim 1.

Selected Shape

A four- or six-sided regular polygon that is chosen to be the polygon outline of the seed tile, and of subsequent tiles created from that seed tile. Introduced in Independent claim 1, and in Independent claim 13.

Slide

During the Creation Phase, the act of a player selecting from the original directions of the plot compass from the seed tile thru allied houses to arrive at a vantage terra from which to plot a new terra upon an adjacent indicated spot of either an allied house or an empty space. During the Piece Movement Phase, the act of a player selecting from the original directions of the plot compass from its resident terra thru any combination of Chaos and/or allied houses to arrive at a vantage terra from which to plot a landing upon an adjacent terra or to plot support of an allied starbug landing upon an adjacent terra there. Introduced in Dependent claim 5, and in Dependent claim 16.

Starbug

The arbitrary name given to any player piece equipped with an individual plot compass. Introduced in Independent claim 13.

Support

During a round of Piece Movement, the action by one starbug to plot strength in the direction of an adjacent terra, to buttress an allied starbug there plotting a landing. Introduced in Dependent claim 1, and in Independent claim 20.

Targeted Terra

During Gameboard Piece Movement, a tile selected by a player to be occupied by an allied piece if a successful plotted landing takes place there. Introduced in Independent claim 13.

Termination

Ending any future use of a plot compass, by selecting an unused plot direction that indicates such a closure, during either the Creation Phase or the Piece Movement Phase. Introduced in Dependent claim 4, and in Dependent claim 14.

Terra

A tile or enclosed space of land created under different special circumstances of process and method during the Creation Phase of the game. During the Piece Movement Phase, an arbitrary name used to describe a landing space for pieces. Compare to “aqua.” Introduced in Independent claim 1, and in Independent claim 13.

Territory

Any complete set of connected houses sharing the indicia of only one player on the gameboard. Introduced in Dependent claim 11.

Tile

In gameboard creation, a shape that can be placed down onto a flat surface and connected to other such shapes so as to create a gameboard map upon which pieces may stand or move. In gameboard piece movement, any enclosed space on any gameboard allowing a piece to stand inside or move upon, that can possibly allow its appearance to change based on game events. Introduced in Independent claim 1, and again in Independent claim 13.

Tower

An arbitrary name given to a tile created by a player as an allied terra under the process and method of a special circumstance: when the same player plots onto one's own same allied house one or more additional times during different rounds of the Creation Phase. A tower is arbitrarily illustrated as a polygon of selected shape with a house inside bearing more than one roof, the number of roofs representing its number of stories, its exterior marked with the indicia of the player. Introduced in Dependent claim 10.

Uncontested Terra

A terra that is the site of only one player plotting one or more landings during a round of Gameboard Piece Movement, resulting in no conflict there that needs to be resolved. Compare to “contested terra.” Introduced in Dependent claim 18.

Vantage or Vantage Point or Vantage Tile

The position on the gameboard from which a plot is launched. Introduced in Dependent claim 5, and in Dependent claim 16.

Viable

During Gameboard Creation, a player plot compass direction that is both available on the plot compass and also available on the gameboard map as an eligible space for plotting an action that targets that space, for the creation of a tile. During Gameboard Piece Movement, a piece plot compass direction that is both available on the plot compass and also available on the gameboard map as an eligible space for plotting an action that targets that space, for example a landing, a support, or a retreat. Introduced in Dependent claim 4 and Dependent claim 14.

Voluntary Termination

Ending the existence of a moving piece, by pulling off a destructive direction from its plot compass. Introduced in Dependent claim 19.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a game system that firstly uses a game device, called a plot compass, to enable two or more players to create a custom gameboard composed of tiles of a particular regular polygon shape. The game system secondly uses the game device of a plot compass to maneuver mobile pieces on that custom gameboard, or on any gameboard that consists of tiles, whose definition includes any enclosed spaces, comprised of that particular regular polygon shape.

More specifically, the gameboard is always composed, in part or as a whole, of connected, congruent and contiguous tiles drawn from the set of single regular polygons consisting of either a shape of a) four, or b) six sides. These shapes are, more specifically, a square, or a regular hexagon. The two are never mixed.

Each such tile can be made of cardboard, wood, plastic, or some other lightweight hard and unbendable material, that can be laid down on a flat plane surface, like a floor or table. The game begins by players first creating a gameboard map of tiles, with each player aided by an individual plot compass. The game continues by players conquering that same gameboard map of tiles, or, alternatively, a gameboard map comprised of unmovable enclosed spaces, but this time, aided by a plot compass for each mobile piece. A shorter version of the game can begin with such a gameboard map already created (by any means), so that players faced with an arrangement of enclosed shapes are only engaged with conquering that gameboard map, without first needing to create the gameboard map from scratch.

Every embodiment of the game is viable for strategic play, with attractions for different audiences. The earliest embodiment stems from the very first two independent claims taken together, and can appeal to children or adults who enjoy simple play. The featured embodiment is based on the most advanced dependent claims taken together, based on those two independent claims, and can be explored on a highly advanced basis by theoreticians, game-masters, and even computer players aided by artificial intelligence.

There are two phases of the game, with different names. The first phase is called the Creation Phase. This phase is based on round-by-round simultaneous interactions of players to competitively create various tiles on an emerging gameboard map of an island. Each player creates one's own tiles on the gameboard, attaching them to a seed tile at the center of a flat plane like a table, floor, or the screen of a computer display.

The second phase is called the Piece Movement Phase. This phase is based on round-by-round simultaneous interactions of all active players with mobile pieces on the gameboard to competitively conquer various tiles (or enclosed spaces) on an already-constructed map of that island.

In both phases of the featured embodiment, involving square tiles, the object is to connect a plurality of nine or more “houses” together into a single territory called a “dominion.” If two players gain nine houses during the same round of play, then each must reach to connect a plurality of nine or more houses compared to any other player to win the game.

The Creation Phase of the game in all early embodiments starts with a special tile, called a seed tile. The center of this seed tile is overlaid by a framing compass designating empty spaces adjacent to the seed tile. If, during a particular round of play, only one player selects a particular direction adjacent to the seed tile, that player then plots one's own colored tile in the empty space there. The first embodiment of the Creation Phase of the game is represented by the first independent claim, claim 1.

The first embodiment of the Piece Movement Phase of the game is represented by the second independent claim, claim 13. This part of the invention relates to each player using a plot compass assigned to each mobile piece, to move player pieces from their resident tiles to targeted tiles on a gameboard map so as to connect certain player-allied tiles (called houses) together in a large enough territory (called a dominion) to win the game.

To repeat: the over-riding goal as a player, is to utilize this plot compass device, first to plot new land as new spaces of different terrains, and second, to plot new land-ings of moveable pieces upon those same land spaces, so as to convert certain tiles into your houses, and then connect your own houses together into a super-large territory called a “dominion,” and thus win the game.

Each player has a distinctive marking, such as a color, to help identify “allied” houses (either one-story huts or multi-story towers in alliance with a sponsoring player) and “allied” player pieces, called starbugs. For the sake of ease and convention in illustration, in a two-player game we name the players Black and White (we remark that the US Patent Office presently disallows in most cases the use of chromatic color to illustrate inventions, thus the requirement for the highest contrast in light and dark shadings possible to illustrate the game requires the frequent usage by the inventor of solid Black versus solid White images). In every embodiment of the game, whether the rounds of play are that of early Creation (tiled mapmaking) or of later Piece Movement (piece movement on top of those tiles), the players log their moves first, and then execute their logged moves, all together, simultaneously.

The tiles in the game represent terras of land and aquas of water, forming a gameboard that resembles in simplest form, a tic-tac-toe game, or in more complex form, the irregular map of a fictional island, as might be discovered by wooden sailing ship explorer of an exotic ocean island of Micronesia. The key terra in the game is the house, whose height can be short, as with one-story huts, or can be tall, as with multi-story towers. Black and White try first to create and, later, during piece movement, to convert these houses, into ones that are colored with their own black or white paint. Such houses are called “allied” when they display the painted color of a given player, and “enemy” when they display the painted color of an opposing player. A Black house (and Black piece) is thus allied with Black the player. A White house (and White piece) is allied with White the player. These houses are initially created in empty spaces adjacent to the swift, ever-shifting volcano called Chaos.

Other terras besides Chaos and houses can be created by the game or by players before or during various rounds of the Creation Phase, such as a cratered hole, mountains, plains, or lakes, all of which can be occupied or traversed by pieces born during the Piece Movement Phase. When a mobile piece of one color occupies a house painted with another color (that is, when an enemy piece occupies a house allied with another player), the house color is immediately flipped to the color of the conquering, occupying piece. The object of the game in the preferred embodiment is to shape the gameboard during the Creation Phase with your own houses and various terras in an advantageous way, to maximize either connectivity of such houses or maximize the number of new starbugs that will be born to such houses, and then to move your pieces during the Piece Movement Phase to conquer and connect at least nine of your allied houses together first.

The initial embodiment, and evolution to the featured embodiment, of the game are best described by discussing and illustrating the specific claims of the invention, which evolve to the featured embodiment at the end of the invention. Such an evolving description can help those acquainted in the craft of game design to understand the best ways to provide the most enjoyable versions of the game for years to come, to different audiences. Thus the various simple and more complex embodiments are all presented in evolving order, appropriate for different audiences, from the first embodiment for little children and developmentally-challenged adults of the simplest games, to game-masters of any background to enable the creation and piece movement over the more complex ones.

Figures Relating to Claims of the Invention

FIG. 1 a helps illustrate the beginning of independent claim 1, revealing the steps for a “game of gameboard creation whose plot compass enables two or more players to create a custom gameboard made from connected, congruent, and contiguous tiles of a single regular polygon shape”. (Every claim is a complete and single sentence, from preamble to final step, but excerpts of each claim will sometimes end in a period that is meant to be outside of the quoted citation, to help readers clearly understand the context of the claim discussed in this specification.)

The invention uses a plot compass to place regular polygon tiles, made readily from wood, plastic, or some other hard material, down upon a flat two-dimensional space, like a tabletop, 101, or floor. Alternatively, such tiles can be represented as resting on a plane parallel to a flat computing display, 102. Tiles can thus be physical, or they can be virtual, as long as the surface of the gameboard display appears to be flat and two-dimensional at the start of the game.

The object of the game, in all embodiments, is to be the first player to connect some specified number of allied houses together, like nine, into a single dominion. By way of example, in the featured embodiment of the game, which uses the two dependent claims numbered claim 12 (for the end of claims regarding the Creation Phase) combined with claim 23 (for that regarding the Piece Movement Phase), the overall object is to be the first player to connect a plurality of nine allied houses together into a single dominion. “Plurality” in this context means a local majority, that is, if two or more players in the same round are the first to reach nine simultaneously, that is, during the same round, the game is not won until any one player is the very first to reach the very highest connected number of nine or more among all players, in any subsequent round.

In the featured embodiment, the gameboard resembles a single island of contiguous terrain spaces, called terras. If the tiles of the gameboard map were not required to be contiguous, but rather, could sometimes be separated into different disconnected islets, a dominion of nine houses may be in some cases impossible to connect. Thus it is critical for players to employ a game device that can deliver a single custom gameboard map whose terras are guaranteed to be connected together in a single contiguous network of tiles at the end of any round of either phase of Creation or Piece Movement.

To reiterate, FIG. 1 a shows the two types of playing arenas for the game display: either on a flat physical surface, such as a table, 101, or floor, or else a flat virtual surface, as within a computer monitor, or some other electronic display visible to the eyes or assisting the brain, 102.

To reiterate, the very first claim, claim 1, begins with the preamble for a “game of gameboard creation whose plot compass enables two or more players to create a custom gameboard made from connected, congruent, and contiguous tiles of a single regular polygon shape,” followed by a process of steps. The first step, “selecting one shape from the list of either a 4-sided regular polygon, or a 6-sided regular polygon, thereby creating a selected shape,” is demonstrated with FIG. 1 b , parts 103, and 104. (In all subsequent paragraphs of this Detailed Description of the Invention, the application refers to all parts of figures simply by their unique number, whose first digits always reflect simultaneously the figure number and the illustration page number, without further reference to the word “part” or “object.” Thus the objects for FIG. 1 a-c start with the digit 1, and also reside on sheet 1 of the Illustrations section.)

Only one of these two polygon shapes is provided for such replicated tile selection because a gameboard map that features any mix of these two n-sided regular polygons, even when cleverly joined together at the sides, corners, or even via some other extra-dimensional aspect, will suffer from clumpy gaps or overlaps in gameboard maps when consisting of more two or more rows (or two or more columns) of connected sides (or connected corners), used for such a clumsy agglomeration of tiles. Any two congruent tiles can be placed on top of one another, with no gaps or overlaps in shape, as per the Glossary entry for Congruent.

In our featured embodiment of the invention, in FIG. 1 c , a square, 105, is selected of the two shapes, in FIG. 1 b , and thus becomes the selected shape for every subsequent tile placed during the remaining course of the independent claim, and indeed for all dependent claims up to, and including, the featured embodiment. Although this square is displayed as the replicated shape in most forthcoming figures, it is important to stress that the selected shape of the invention can also be, besides a square, a regular hexagon. (An equilateral triangle, although at first appearing to be a viable shape for these claims, unfortunately requires claims language addressing the re-orientation of upside-down triangles against correctly upstanding triangles, and thus is not included within the scope of this patent application.) As a passing note, in FIG. 69 the specification presents at the very end of this detailed description a gameboard with this alternative hexagon selected shape, FIG. 1 b 104, as part of the scope of this patent application. But for the vast majority of this specification, the selected shape of the square tile of 105 is shaded slightly to distinguish it as our seed tile, for the rest of the patent specification.

After “selecting one shape from the list of either a 4-sided regular polygon, or a 6-sided regular polygon, thereby creating a selected shape,” and “placing one surface of that selected shape face up upon an empty plane of space, thereby creating a seed tile” fulfilling claim 1 Step a) and Step b), we proceed directly to FIG. 2 , illustrating claim 1 Step c) where the game assigns “unique compass directions to any subset of the set exhausting every side, corner, and extra-dimensional aspect of that seed tile, thereby creating a frame compass as a template surrounding that seed tile”.

FIG. 2 shows a graphic “legend,” 201, for the simulated computer display of the invented game. A legend is a visual aid to a map or graphic used in computer displays of various games of strategy, especially those utilizing gameboard maps. (The title of the legend identifies the particular graphic for the person viewing such a computer display.) Because the invented device of the plot compass is expected to be used in both the tabletop form of the game and in the computer display form of the game, such a legend is included as a key element of most game illustrations. The first legend, as titled, displays a Frame Compass, around the seed tile, 202, with the name Frame 203 below the seed tile, and directions North through Northwest on a clockwise basis around the sides and corners of that seed tile, 204-211, along with the single extra-dimensional direction Down, 212. There are thus nine directions on this Frame Compass.

For everyday guidance on the word “subset,” Wikipedia at the beginning of its listing of the definition of subset states that “in mathematics, a set A is a subset of set B if A is contained in B . . . [yet] A and B may be equal.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subset)

Taking this definition in hand, we have assigned a unique compass direction to every side, corner, and extra-dimensional aspect of the seed tile that we can subjectively imagine as if we were all players of the game in consensual agreement, without any concern as to whether such a set of assigned directions is truly mathematically exhaustive of all possible directions, because we only require a “subset” of that elusive exhaustive set.

To demonstrate the flexibility of the subset clause of claim 1 Step c), we shift to FIG. 3 , where the original Frame Compass of FIG. 2 is duplicated, but with a smaller subset of directions than the subset shown in FIG. 2 . The directions for North 304, Northeast 305, Southeast 306, Southwest 307, West 308, and Down 309, are still included. The other directions found in FIG. 2 are missing. This arbitrary subset of directions surrounds the seed tile 302, again properly entitled “Frame” 303 which could easily serve as the permanent framing compass for the rest of claim 1 in an alternate embodiment of the game. In yet another embodiment, such additional directions as “Up,” “Far East,” or “Far Northwest,” can be subjectively added as three additional directions, to the nine directions on the framing compass in FIG. 2 , making a total of 12 “subset” directions. Remember that this subset need not be truly exhaustive, only that it serves as a finite subset of any conceptual exhaustive set of directions that can be possibly included.

Next we move to FIGS. 4 a and 4 b , which illustrate claim 1 Step d), where the game provides “to each player an individualized version of that frame compass template, thereby creating two or more player plot compasses.” 401 shows a legend for Plot Compasses at the state of the game just before Creation Round 1, that is, before any player plots of land, when only the seed tile exists. The Frame Compass of FIG. 2 is now replicated twice, and given to the arbitrarily-named player Black, 402, and then to White, 403. (Again, other names, like Alice or Bob can also be used, but here we use colors in high contrast with each other to double as player names to speed up comprehension of the game.) We title the nascent Gameboard with the legend, 404, which states that we are “Before Creation Round 1/[when the] Seed Tile [is] created to start game.” The gameboard consists solely of the seed tile, 405, which was just created by the game, laid by its surface down upon the flat plane of space. (Only new terras created after the seed tile will also have a halo around it if the creation was during the most recent displayed round.)

We now move to claim 1 Step e), which allows “each player, during each round of simultaneous gameboard creation, to select a direction of plotting from one's own player plot compass, thereby creating a pathway from the seed tile to an indicated spot.” In FIG. 5 a , where the legend indicates the state of the game in “Creation Round 1, after player plots,” 501, Black 502 has selected the direction of Southwest with a circle, 503, and White 504 has selected the direction of Northeast with a circle, 505. Each adjacency, or course, is the empty square space whose corner is tangent to that of the seed tile at each selected corner.

And thus we come at last to claim 1 Step f) where the game plots “a new tile of selected shape onto that indicated spot, creating what can be arbitrarily called a terra of land.”

The inventor points out that the patent claim of claim 1 Steps a-f) is designed to cover the specified circumstances under which a new tile of selected shape is created and placed in a designated position relative to the seed tile, as a novel, non-obvious, and useful process and method of round-by-round gradual gameboard creation. The arbitrary nomenclature for any interim or final outcome of a claim, such as “terra of land,” is meant in no case to be limiting to the coverage of such claim, which is a precisely specified process and method of gameboard creation.

FIG. 5 b shows the beginning of a custom gameboard, “Creation Round 1, after player plots,” inside the legend 506, where the black terra 508 (colored black only to distinguish it as being created by Black in the figure, as no player mark has yet to be established in any claim) is Southwest of the seed tile, 507, and freshly created, so there is a “halo” surrounding the new tile, 509. Similarly for White, the White terra 510 (colored white only to distinguish it as from White in the figure, as no player mark has yet to be established in any claim) is Northeast of the seed tile, freshly created, 511.

Note that the two tiles next to the seed tile could be called any noun that signifies a gameboard space, such as “block,” “square,” “landing,” “neighbor,” “innocent bystander,” or even “planet,” and that the term “terra” is only an arbitrary label of a metaphorical terrain for the purposes of describing more richly a space of “land” in the game invention. The process and method of terra creation under these specific circumstances of a plot compass is what counts. The arbitrary labels (here and in later claims) are useful metaphors for the gameboard being created, which unfolds, in later claims and embodiments, as a small island of connected terras, representing different earthy terrains, such as: houses in the form of one-story huts or multi-story towers, mountains, plains, cratered holes, lakes (as bodies of water surrounded on all sides by terras), and a shifting volcano named Chaos. Such an island, composed of various terras of land, by force of later claim language, is always surrounded on all sides by aquas of water, representing the surrounding sea, as if the island were an island in Micronesia. Other themes or metaphors may be usefully provided by players or game designers for other embodiments. These themes or metaphors describing gameboard map spaces are in no way intended to limit the scope of different tiles created under different circumstances by the claims describing the plot compass process, method, or invention.

Did the steps in the claim 1 fulfill the aim and purpose of the claim's preamble, so that two or more players could “create a custom gameboard made from connected, congruent, and contiguous tiles of a single regular polygon shape?” The answer is yes. No matter what compass directions are selected by Black and White, or else selected by three, four, or even more players during this first round of Creation, the tiles would all connect together as contiguous game spaces, and the resulting game board, after this first round, would also be indeed custom-made for this game.

This independent claim 1, when taken alone, with no other supporting claim, over a few rounds of play, creates one custom gameboard out of many hundreds of differently spaced gameboards, that, when combined with independent claim 13 for the basic movement of placed pieces on such a gameboard, together fulfill the promise of a player plot compass serving as an essential tool for the player acting as both map-maker and as piece-mover. Many different strategy games can be created from these two independent claims (with some possibly including additional rules) to ensure that, so far: 1) no player has a turn-taking advantage, that 2) no player suffers from the replicated placement of starting pieces on the same designated spaces, and 3) no player suffers from the introduction of random chance or whimsical caprice to determine uncertain game outcomes. As a result, any embodiment that faithfully follows these two independent claims with other dependent designs can indeed produce a pure strategy game.

Such a capability is most beneficial when it comes to creating small-scale strategy games for very youthful or very casual players. How is simultaneous play enabled by independent Claim 1? In each round, during claim 1 Steps e) and f), precisely when players first select directions to signify where, relative to the seed tile, they wish to plot new landings of a tile, before moving to plot those tiles, arbitrarily named terras, onto a gameboard. Players may optionally log such moves on a notepad, called an Order Log, which can be simulated on a computer screen, and then via announcement execute those moves simultaneously, after all such logs by all players are completed.

Thus we now move to the first dependent claim of claim 2. First, at claim 2 Step a) the game makes “a distinctive mark for each player, thereby creating a player's mark.” Player marks can be any indicia that displays to any human sense which player is which, and thus reveal which plot compasses, terras, or pieces belong to which player. In games for the blind, for example, a tactile Braille symbol or sonorous indicator of sound can “display” a player's mark to another player. Here, for the purposes of this visual document, we will provide simple shades of color: black for the player Black, white for the player White. We arbitrarily decide, for now, that the mark for player Black is a dark color, and for player White a light color, on all such allied elements of the game.

Second at claim 2 Step b), the game creates and displays “that player's mark on each terra plotted exclusively by only a single player during a given round, thereby creating what can be arbitrarily called a house allied to that player.” We demonstrate this situation by moving to FIGS. 6 a, 6 b , and 6 c.

We identify in FIG. 6 a the Plot Compasses of Black and White, by the legend displayed in the computer display of the game, 601, where terras, arbitrarily named as such in the previous claim, can be created as plots of land. Black player's plot compass, labeled Black 602, surrounding the seed tile in the center of Black's plot compass, and Black's selected compass direction of Southwest 603, are all shown, with the indicated space next to the seed tile circled. White, 604, has Northeast selected by a circle, 605. In FIG. 6 b we see an Order Log, 606, which shows the name of the Gameboard (called “Gameboard” for now, but creative names will later be applied to distinguish different gameboards as new figures emerge) 607. For the first time we see a player's mark for Black's terras, which is a straightforward symbol for a house, painted black, 608.

To complete the Order Log, which is generated by either the player on a notepad or on a computing device from the plot compass direction so selected, the seed tile, 609, is the vantage from which Black will plot a terra Southwest, 610, with a plot arrow indicating a question mark around a new terra, 611. The order log, as written out, reads the imperative “Black: From seed tile/plot a terra on the empty space Southwest,” 612.

In FIG. 6 c we see the gameboard result of the plotting, 613, where each player has selected a unique space adjacent to the seed tile, 614, marked with the Black player's mark of a house, 615, newly created and thus surrounded by a halo, 616. White has also created one's own house painted white as a player's mark, 617, also recently created and surrounded by a halo, 618.

But claim 2 also includes a Step c) “displaying a distinctive neutral mark on any terra that is plotted jointly by two or more players during a given round, thereby creating what can be arbitrarily called a mountain.” We introduce FIGS. 7 a, 7 b, and 7 c , where the only change from FIGS. 6 a, 6 b, and 6 c is that White alters the plot direction from Northeast to Southwest, which is the same direction selected by Black, from the seed tile. In FIG. 7 c we find that the single new terra created (not two terras plural) from two player plots of land, 713, next to the seed tile, 714, is not a “Black and White house,” or two separate houses, but a single neutral terra (not a house) belonging to no player, which the game arbitrarily calls a “mountain,” 715.

Notice that the circumstance of this new neutral terra creation is based solely on the process and method of the claim, and does not stem from whimsical rule making on the part of the inventor. Instead it illustrates an integral part of the risk of plotting terras on a simultaneous basis between two or more players during the same round of play. This is a helpful indicator that the plot compass as a game invention is not just novel, non-obvious, and useful, but also has its own integrity as a tool with respect to unexpected, but wholly necessary, terra creation outcomes. We will encounter more organic terra outcomes from different circumstances in future claims. Again, the inventor emphasizes that the arbitrary naming and illustrating of the new neutral terra as “mountain” is only designed to assist understanding of the gameboard by way of metaphor, and in no way limits the applicability or scope of this claim, which reveals a novel, non-obvious, and useful outcome to the process and method of gradual gameboard creation by means of a plot compass utilized by two or more players.

Claim 3 is simply a rule that disallows any player from placing a terra on top of any existing terra that was not exclusively created by that player. Claim 3 requires no illustration, because a rule of prevention is nearly impossible to illustrate. Claim 3 states a dependent claim on claim 2, “preventing any player from plotting a terra on top of any terra that is not either an allied house or the seed tile.” We will indicate the importance of this claim in later illustrations, when gameboard development is more advanced, and question marks will be placed in every potential place where a player may plot a new terra, thus illustrating the applicable scope of this important claim in context.

Claim 4 Step a) allows the game to eliminate “each selected compass direction that plots a terra from the player plot compass, so that the selected direction is not able to be used again in any later round for plotting.” In FIG. 8 a , we see the first stage of plot compass direction selection and elimination, 801, with Black, 802, selecting Southwest, 803, with a circle. White, 804, makes a selection East, 805, also with a circle.

In FIG. 8 b , before direction elimination, 806, we see the slashes of Black, 807, of the Southwest direction, 808, and of White, 809, of the East direction, 810.

Finally, in FIG. 8 c , we see the Plot Compasses after such direction elimination, with Black's plot compass, 812, hollowing out the Southwest direction, 813, and White 814, hollowing out the East direction, 815. These hollowed images of Southwest and East persist because they are part of the original configuration of the plot compass, and these original directions will become useful in a surprising way, in a later claim, even while remaining forever eliminated during the Creation Phase of the game as a plottable direction.

We have seen the evolution of plot compasses from direction selection to slash indication of elimination to the actual elimination of those directions for plotting in claim 4 Step a) as shown in FIGS. 8 a-c . In claim 4 Step b) we find that the invention also prevents “a player from plotting any land of a terra anywhere if every selectable space of adjacency to the seed tile is not viable, either because such space is: i. already filled by a terra that is not an allied house, or ii. already eliminated as a compass direction for plotting from that player's plot compass”.

For this to be properly illustrated, we must introduce two figures that respectively illustrate a player's plot compass before and after a specified round of creation.

To illustrate this step, we must go forward a few more rounds of Gameboard Creation, to Round 6, where five selected directions are already eliminated from each player's plot compass, as found in FIG. 9 a , which shows the legend of “Plot Compasses before [any] selection to plot in [any] new direction,” 901. Black 902 and White 903 are each searching for a new direction to select from their respective plot compasses.

Black is unable to plot Northeast, South, or West due to existing terras in those locations that are not black houses. White is unable to plot North, Northeast, Southeast, South, or West due to existing terras in those locations that are not white houses. The legend for the Gameboard is shown in 904, indicating that we are still in Creation Round 6 before any selection to plot in a new direction. The gameboard shows the seed tile, 905, in the middle of eight terras, surrounding the seed terra at every side and corner. A mountain is North, 906, and Southeast, 909 of the seed tile. A black house is East, 908, Southwest, 911, and Northwest, 913 of the seed tile. A white house is Northeast, 907, and South, 910, and West, 912, of the seed tile. The conundrum is that neither Black nor White are able to plot any more houses. Thus the two players may resort to the benefit of claim 4 Step c) which requires that “any one extra-dimensional aspected direction of a player plot compass to be a selectable instruction to terminate that device.” For this game, the setting is the extra-dimensional aspect of the direction Down, which shuts down the plot compass for both players. And, indeed, in FIG. 9 c , we see the titled Plot Compasses of the legend, 914, showing the terminations that end both plot compasses for Black, 915, and White, 917, by selecting Down, at 916, and 918, respectively. When every player has terminated one's own compass, then the game can move from the Gameboard Creation Phase to Gameboard Population Interruption to the Gameboard Piece Movement Phase. But before we make that move, there are more innovations to the Gameboard Creation Phase remaining in the dependent claims.

Looking back to claim 1, onward to claim 4, we have shown that the invention is very useful for the purposes of custom mapmaking. As we move closer and closer to the featured embodiment of the invention, we note that the displayed gameboard will begin to appear far more irregular in shape, and far more irregular in its distribution of houses, mountains, and other terras that have yet to be created. Under the next three dependent claims, the gameboard will gain capability to vastly grow in complexity.

In claim 5, we depend on claim 4, discussing two possible contingencies. Claim 5 Step a) allows “each player in each round the repeatable option to engage in a series of one or more slides by selecting any original direction from the player's plot compass, whether that direction has been eliminated by a previous plot or not, to shift that player's plot compass away from the seed tile to frame anew an allied house, as an eligible terra adjacent to that seed tile, and from there, if desired, to frame anew another such eligible terra that is so adjacent to that of the previous one, and so on, until, from that vantage, after all slides are completed, the player either,” serving as a preamble to two mutually exclusive substeps, greatly adding flexibility to player plotting. Arriving at the end of Step a), from such a vantage point, the player may then, under Substep i, plot “a terra of a new allied house, if no other player plots in the same selected empty space during that round,” or plots under Substep ii: “a terra of a new mountain, if more than one player plots in the same selected empty space during that round.” In claim 5 Step b), this part of the claim directs “the designated purpose of selecting a direction for sliding, exempting any original direction of the plot compass from elimination, or from being affected by any previous elimination; but maintaining such eliminations for the designated purpose of selecting a direction for plotting.”

With this second step we now see why the hollowed-out forms of various original compass directions are preserved at all costs. The original directions of a plot compass must always be available to players for the purpose of cost-free slides, because such slides act as prefix moves to plotting, that is, they serve as moves that precede the plotting of a terra from any arrived vantage point in any given round of Creation.

In FIGS. 10 a-c , we see the Plot Compasses, the Order Log of Black, and the resulting Gameboard from slides and then plots made by both players. These three illustrations show why slides are so useful for creating irregularly shaped gameboards in later embodiments of the game. In these illustrations we move forward from FIGS. 9 a -c.

First, in FIG. 10 a , we see the legend 1001 for Plot Compasses, “Creation Round 6, after player slides and plots,” showing for example the plotted direction of Black 1002, namely West, which is circled, 1004. Yet the Southwest direction is underlined, designating a prefixing slide to that West plot, 1003. (Such designations can be made on paper by players, or on computer by players. Players on computer can make their selections with simple mouse clicks, touch screen selections, or by voice command, among other methods.)

For White as well, 1005, we see a plotted direction East, 1007, but this is also prefixed by a slide Northeast, 1006. To aid our understanding, we will rely on an Order Log to help us understand the ordering of the prefixing slide before the plotting of a terra.

Moving to FIG. 10 b , we see the Order Log 1008, in “Creation Round 6, [showing] Black's slide and plot.” The name of the Gameboard (still non-creatively named “Gameboard”) is shown along with the tally that we are in Round 6 of Creation, 1009. We see the player mark of Black, as the simple symbol of a house, 1010. We then see the Seed Tile 1011, as the starting point for a slide Southwest, 1012, thru a black house there, 1013, before Black plots a terra West from that black house, 1014, to create a new terra, which has a question mark, 1015. The question mark has a designated purpose: will the new terra be a new black house, or will it be a new mountain, 1016? The Order Log reads, “Black: From seed tile slide Southwest thru a Black house, then plot a terra onto the empty indicated spot West,” 1017.

From FIG. 10 c one can more fully appreciate the added flexibility of sliding, by examining Black's move on the gameboard. We find the gameboard map display titled in the legend, 1018: “Gameboard, Creation Round 6, after player slides and plots.” From the center of the gameboard where the seed tile lies, 1019, Black slides Southwest, and then plots a new terra West, 1020. A halo surrounds the new black house. (Black is not joined by the plotting of another player in that space, so Black gets a black house all by itself, rather than a mountain.)

At the opposite corner of the gameboard map, White slides from the seed tile Northeast to a white house there, and then plots East, to make a new white house at 1021, with a halo again around the white house, signifying a new terra on the island.

Without sliding, we can see that Black and White would be trapped into selecting Down to terminate their respective plot compasses, as in the case of FIG. 9 c . This would result in a kind of tic-tac-toe board, whose variability would be with the arrangement of white and black houses, and with mountains, next to the centered seed tile. But with sliding, both players are able to add more terras to the gameboard for longer than otherwise possible. Also note that the gameboard can now appear more irregular in terms of shape.

We move to FIGS. 11 a-c to show how two players may slide with very different paths thru their respective allied houses only to plot a terra in the same exact selected spot of adjacency (from different vantage points) to create what is arbitrarily called a mountain, under the contingency of claim 5 Step a) Substep ii. In FIG. 11 a we see that the Plot Compasses are being marked similarly to that of FIG. 10 a , where, for each player, one direction is marked as a slide with one underline, and another direction is marked as a plot as one circle. The directions and slides are different, but eventually land both players in the same empty spot for plotting.

Moving down to FIG. 11 b , we see where White has generated an Order Log that conforms to its plot compass selection, 1117, which says “White: From seed tile/slide West thru a White house, then/plot a terra onto the empty indicated spot Southwest.” Such an order log by White creates a new terra in the same empty space as that created by Black, making a new mountain, as shown in FIG. 11 c , 1119. The mountain, of course, has a halo surrounding it, showing that it is new.

Claim 5 Step b) prevents any slide from causing the elimination of a plot direction from a player's plot compass, or from being affected by any previous elimination of a plot direction from that player's plot compass. The language is very specific: “for the designated purpose of selecting a direction for sliding, exempting any original direction of the plot compass from elimination, or from being affected by any previous elimination; but maintaining such eliminations for the designated purpose of selecting a direction for plotting.” We note that the previous elimination of West from the Black plot compass, and the previous elimination of Southwest from the White plot compass, did not hinder slides moving in those directions. But to make the point further, we emphasize that if Black wanted to slide in a direction that is available as a plot direction from the Black plot clock, that direction would not be eliminated just because it was used in a slide. Slides, unlike plots, are cost-free, and can be used on an unlimited basis, as long the designated directions are directed from points on the plot compass that were there originally there at the time of plot compass creation, indeed, inherited directly from the frame compass.

Claim 6 is a very important dependent claim in the invention, because it creates an innovative new form of the plot compass, called a plot clock.

A plot clock is not a time-keeper. It is a special kind of plot compass. In a plot clock, unique numerals are assigned, on a one-to-one basis, to the unique directions of a plot compass. With this dependent claim 6, and its adjunct dependent claim 7, we are getting much closer to the featured embodiment of the invention for the Creation Phase of the game, where many billions of unique gameboard maps can be created. Indeed such a featured embodiment, can, for most playing audiences, serve as the preferred embodiment of the invention.

All of the methodical steps in claim 6 take place “before the first round of gameboard creation,” where Step a) substitutes “a new neutral terra for the seed tile, where such a terra can be arbitrarily called Chaos.” In FIG. 12 a , we see the legend of the titular “Frame Compass” with “One subset of set of all directions adjacent or aspected to Chaos, /total of ten directions.” 1201. Note that this is ten directions, not the previous nine seen in the previous illustrations. In the compass named Frame, 1202, we see Chaos, 1203 in the center of the compass. This new neutral terra Chaos is designated with a black X against a white background, which represents the first letter of Chaos in Greek, the letter chi. Again, Chaos is surrounded by 10 directions, starting with North, 1204, and going clockwise to Northwest, 1211, with the new direction for Up as the very first numbered extra-dimensional aspect, 1212, and for Down as the second extra-dimensional aspect, 1213.

We next move to claim 6 Step b) where we count “all of the unique compass directions of the frame compass, starting with 0 for the first such counted direction, to 1 for the second, and so on to a highest numeral for the last, whereby the entire range of ascending numerals from lowest to highest is expressed in the single digits of a created base numeral system that ends at that highest numeral.” In the bottom of FIG. 12 a , we see the ascending numerals from 0 to 9, in a box, indicating the lowest and highest numerals of the base numeral system, 1214.

In FIG. 12 b , first we see the legend for two “Plot Compasses,” with a “Total of ten directions,” 1215. Next to the legend we see Black and White plot compasses, 1216, and 1219, respectively. The Chaos terra is in the centers of those plot compasses, as directly inherited from the one frame compass. We note that the extra direction, Up, is in both the Black and White plot compasses, 1217, and 1220. Finally, we see the same range of a base numeral system, ascending from 0 to 9, 1218 and 1221, respectively, for the two plot compasses.

We next move to claim 6 Step c), where the game assigns “a unique numeral from that base numeral system to each compass direction on each player's plot compass, thereby creating each player's plot clock, where each unique clock numeral serves as a substitute for each unique compass direction.” In FIG. 12 c , we see the legend of “Plot Clocks” and “Basic Plot Clock/Total of ten directions,” 1222, and the Black plot clock, 1223, with the extra direction for Up as the numeral 9, 1224, and the White plot clock, 1225, with the extra direction for Up as the numeral 9 as well, 1226. Chaos again is in the middle of the plot clocks, and the numerals are assigned to the plot compass directions in a specific way. This specific arrangement is called a Basic Plot Clock. (We will use the Basic Plot Clock for all subsequent examples of developing a gameboard during Gameboard Creation, but for a specific “scrambled” plot clock as an example of the sheer astonishing flexibility of the game in terms of the permutating variety of plot clocks that players can utilize in their everyday gameplay.)

The Basic Plot Clock is a “starter” plot clock that by convention rather than by rule all players registering with the game will use to begin a tournament or to start their professional careers. A Basic Plot Clock starts with 1 for North, and goes clockwise around the sides and corners of a plot compass, until finishing with 8 for Northwest, and then assigning 9 to Up (a new direction from our shared Frame Compass), and with 0 assigned to Down. Up and Down together serve as the two extra-dimensional aspects (neither a lateral side or lateral corner) of Chaos, one plotting above Chaos, one undercutting the plot clock from below. (There are no duplicates of numerals in this range 0 thru 9, nor are there any gaps of any numerals.) The unique positions of the numerals of the Basic Plot Clock are used until they are scrambled, either randomly, or deterministically. One deterministic method is discussed in a later claim. This completes FIG. 12 c , and also concludes claim 6 Step c).

Before we continue with the remaining steps of this claim, let us examine where we are in game device development. In FIG. 13 a , we see our Basic Plot Clock, as titled in the legend, 1301, provided to two players, namely Black 1302, and White 1304. The two plot clocks have Chaos in the center, 1303 and 1305.

In FIG. 13 b we see the legend for “Gameboard,” and the game state as being “Before the first round of Creation, with Chaos in starting position,” 1306. Chaos the lonely volcano is in the center of the void of ocean, 1307. No halo surrounds it, because only newly plotted terras get halos.

We turn to FIGS. 14 a-c to reveal the next part of claim 6, namely Step d), which provides “all of the unique compass directions of the same frame compass to guide the prospective movement of each future Chaos reaction, thereby creating a Chaos reaction compass.” Thus we start FIG. 14 a by examining the legend for the titular Frame Compass, which again is described as “One subset of a set of all directions adjacent or aspected to Chaos, total of ten directions,” 1401. The directions on the Frame Compass 1402, are surrounding Chaos, 1403, starting from North to Northwest, 1404 to 1411, as clockwise directions. A new direction, Up, is established here at the Frame Compass, 1412, along with Down, 1413, as we note that because this Chaos reaction compass will inherit the same count of directions as those found in the framing compass of claim 6 Step a), we note that the range of these numerals from lowest to highest begins at 0 and ends with 9, as shown in the box 1414.

We then turn to FIG. 14 b for what is created from claim 6 Step d), namely a Chaos reaction compass, as mentioned in the legend, 1415, with a total of ten directions that are identical to those in the framing compass and the plot compasses of the two players in FIGS. 12 a-c and 13 a-b . This Chaos reaction compass, 1416, includes Up as a new direction, 1417, and has the same base numerals as those counted for the Frame Compass, 1418.

Claim 6 Step e) states that the game next assigns “a unique numeral from the base numeral system of the frame compass to each compass direction on that Chaos reaction compass, thereby creating a Chaos reaction clock, where each unique clock numeral serves as a substitute for each unique compass direction that Chaos may move.” And as we move to FIG. 14 c , we display the legend for the Chaos Reaction Clock, 1419, mentioning that there are “Ten directions/that Chaos can respond to.” The Chaos reaction clock itself appears for now to be identical to that of the two plot clocks of each player, 1420, and, as we notice, includes the Up direction as well, 1421.

(We skip FIG. 15 on Page 15 of the Illustrations as no longer relevant to our claims or to our description of the game, with apologies to the examiner and any other reader of this patent application.)

We now move to claim 7, which fulfills the preparation of claim 6, whereby claim 7 has steps taking place “during each round of gameboard creation.” As we move through claim 7, we will begin the creation of a permanent gameboard, while adding new claims, and adding new plots.

Claim 7 Step a) allows each player to “each player to select a numeral from one's own player plot clock corresponding to a compass direction for a selected empty space that plots a terra that has adjacency either to i. Chaos or to ii. any allied house that is framed via one or more slides away from Chaos.”

We show this with FIG. 16 a , which by legend, 1601, shows “Plot Clocks” from “Creation Round 1/after player plots,/before Chaos reaction.” There are no slides. On the Black plot clock, 1602, we see the numeral 2 selected by a circle, which is direction Northeast, and hence marked for elimination with a slash, to plot a terra, 1603. Both circle and slash are thus shown together. We see the White plot clock, 1604, and the numeral 4 being circled for a plotted terra, which is direction Southeast, and set for elimination by a simultaneous slash, 1605.

The next step in claim 7, Step b) has the game “plotting a new terra onto each selected empty space of such adjacency.” To illustrate this we move to FIG. 16 b.

In this middle figure we see the legend for the un-named “Gameboard,” 1606, where we are in Creation Round 1, “after player plots/before Chaos reaction,” 1606. We see on the gameboard, to the right, where Chaos sits 1607, with a black house plotted Northeast of Chaos, 1608, newly created and surrounded by a halo, as would be expected from the 2 position on the plot clock, 1609. The white house is 1610, also freshly created with a halo, 1611, at the Southeast corner of Chaos. Finally, we see a gameboard map compass showing all of the directions of the frame compass, 1612, to help orient players. (This gameboard compass will become standard for all future gameboard maps, and thus will in time be ignored.)

But the game is not yet finished with these plots. There is far more to come.

In claim 7 Step c) we find the game “collecting each selected single numeral from each player plot clock, and adding all such numerals together to create a sum in the common base numeral system whose last digit is saved.” We show this in FIG. 16 c , where the two collected numerals from Black and White, respectively 2 and 4, are added together, to create 6 as a sum, 1613. We move then to claim 7, Step d) where the game finds “the compass direction of the Chaos reaction clock that matches this saved last digit.” In FIG. 17 a , we show this finding, via the legend “All Clocks” for “Creation Round 1, after player plots, after Chaos reaction,” 1701. “All Clocks” means the two plot clocks of Black and White, as the only two players in the game, and the Chaos reaction clock as well. From the Black plot clock, 1702, we collect the 2, 1703, and, after a plus sign, 1704, we look to the White plot clock, 1705, to collect the 4, 1706. With an equals sign after, 1707, we find the sum to be 6 on the Chaos reaction clock, 1708, which is Southwest in direction from Chaos, 1709.

In claim 7 Step e), we note that “for that found compass direction:” Substep i. “if indicating a pathway along a particular side or corner of Chaos, then moving Chaos in that found compass direction thru terras of every kind until stopping at the first empty space so discovered,” is the first among multiple directives. Another directive can be found in claim 7, Step e) Substep “if indicating a pathway along any extra-dimensional aspect of Chaos with any numeral greater than the least numeral among all such extra-dimensional aspects, then leaving Chaos stationary in its place.” A third directive can be found in claim 7 Step e) Substep iii.: “if indicating a pathway along any extra-dimensional aspect of Chaos with either the least or the only numeral among all such extra-dimensional aspects, then:” followed by two sub-sub-steps. Claim 7, Step e) Substep ii Sub-sub-step a. states “if the compass direction is found during the first round of gameboard creation, then leaving Chaos stationary in its place,” and Sub-sub-step b. states “if the compass direction is found in any round of gameboard creation following the first round, then repeating the reaction of Chaos from the most previous round.”

In claim 7, Step e) the coverage of every contingency relating to the number of extra-dimensional aspects to Chaos are covered. Thus it becomes obvious that in the case of two or more extra-dimensional aspects to Chaos, every pathway would be covered under both claim 7, Step e) Substep ii. (for having any numeral greater than the least) and Substep iii. (for having the numeral that is the least, or the only numeral among all extra-dimensional aspects). In the case of one extra-dimensional aspect to Chaos, claim 7, Step e) Substep iii. In the case of no extra-dimensional aspects to Chaos, no Substep ii. or Substep iii. would be needed.

Finally claim 7 ends with Step f) where the game creates “a new type of neutral terra, in the first empty space vacated by Chaos if it has moved in a found compass direction along a side or corner of Chaos, whereby that neutral terra can be arbitrarily called a plain.”

As we examine our Basic Chaos Reaction Clock of FIG. 17 a , 1708, we note that Chaos has eight side and corner adjacencies to its surrounding square as the selected shape surrounding Chaos. These are 1-North, 2-Northeast, 3-East, 4-Southeast, 5-South, 6-Southwest, 7-West, 8-Northwest. There are two extra-dimensional aspects to this square, namely 9-Up, and 0-Down. All of these directions are inherited from the frame compass, and again are only a subset of an exhaustive set of all such directions that are mathematically possible.

Under our contingency outcomes of claim 7, then, we know that claim 7, Step e), Substep i. pertains to the eight sides and corners from 1-North clockwise to 8-Northwest. Claim 7, Step e), Substep ii. pertains to 9-Up. Claim 7, Step e), Substep iii. pertains to 0-Down.

All three substeps are illustrated very strongly with FIGS. 36-41 , and Tables 1a-j, and Tables 2-6, where Basic Plot Clocks and the Basic Chaos Reaction Clock (all having the same arrangements of unique numeral assigned to unique direction) exhibit the column of Chaos reaction where the saved digits 1-8 (corresponding to directions North clockwise through Northwest) would be extensions along either a side or corner of Chaos, the saved digit 9 (corresponding to direction Up) would be an extension along the first designated extra-dimensional aspect, leaving Chaos stationary in place, and the saved digit 0 (corresponding to direction Down) would be an extension along the second designated extra-dimensional aspect, typically repeating the Chaos reaction of any previous round. All settings of the numerals for the player plot clocks and the Chaos reaction clock can follow the Basic parameters set above, or can be alternatively established by home rules, or by player agreement. But we will adhere to the Basic Plot Clock and Basic Reaction Clock configurations.

We thus re-examine the FIG. 17 b outcome, following claim 7 Step e) to find that 6-Southwest is the Basic Chaos Reaction Clock outcome, along the lines of Substep i., and therefore the movement for Chaos is along a corner, to move Southwest.

The final step of this claim is claim 7 Step f) where the game creates “a new type of neutral terra, in the first empty space vacated by Chaos if it has moved in a found compass direction, where that neutral terra can be arbitrarily called a plain.”

In FIG. 17 b , we see the legend for the Gameboard, 1710, letting us know that we are now witnessing the map in “Creation Round 1, after player plots, after Chaos reaction.” The map compass is shown 1711. We see Chaos leaving behind a terra, called a plain, 1712, without halo, because only new plotted terras by players get halos. Chaos, of course, travels away the plain. The two other terras, the black house at 1713 and the white house at 1714, are intact. The resulting reaction direction of Chaos is 6-SW, 1715, and Chaos travels Southwest thru any terras that may lie in that direction (alas there are none) until reaching the very first empty space, at 1716. For this claim 7, the Creation Round 1 is completed.

This near-final step of creating a new neutral terra in the previous place of Chaos is necessary to the utility of the invention guaranteeing a single connection of all tiles, a utility that is maintained from the very first claim 1, because with Chaos moving in reaction to player plot clocks in every round, many spaces of past Chaos occupation will indeed likely be vacated. Without a new neutral terra being created in the empty space beneath Chaos in early and later rounds, clusters of regular polygon tiles after some rounds could sometimes be disconnected into separate “islets,” lacking the “glue” that is needed to connect all terras together, thus defeating one of the game's purposes, of guaranteeing that the gameboard tiles remain connected and contiguous.

One detail relating to this claim 7 is when a player with a Basic Plot Clock under the featured embodiment selects the direction of 9-Up to plot a landing on top of the current Chaos position, the space that is suddenly vacated by Chaos is suddenly populated by a new house. Thus, under this circumstance, Chaos does not leave behind a plain, but a house. But, if a new house is plotted 9-Up on the Chaos position, and the Chaos reaction for that round is static, that is, resulting 9-Up, or else resulting 0-Down repeating 9-Up, the new house falling onto the volcano Chaos is destroyed.

We will thus create a series of evolving tables, labelled Table 1a-j, to show the development of this gameboard (an island here fictionally to be named Corsicana, in homage to the Italian island of Corsica) on such a round-by-round basis. For reasons of notation convenience, the number/letter abbreviated descriptions can used by players to plot landings of terras with a player plot clock, and to show any “summary” responses from the Chaos reaction clock. The super-simple notation begins with a numeral, and ends with the found compass direction for that numeral. For example, the numeral 2 on the Basic plot clock for Black, represents the direction of Northeast. The notation for the mapmaking move by Black is “2” (for the numeral selected), followed by a dash “-” followed by the compass direction the numeral represents: “NE” for Northeast. White's plots, and Chaos's reaction is described in the same way, as shown below:

TABLE 1a For FIGS. 17a and 17b: The Player Plot Clock Selections and Chaos Reaction For The Gameboard Map now called Corsicana. Corsicana FIGS. 17a-b Round # Black White Chaos 1 2-NE 4-SE 6-SW

In the table above, Black plots 2-NE, White plots 4-SE, and Chaos reacts 6-SW. With such terse notation, the logging of plotted landings of terras, and the logging of Chaos reaction onto the gameboard is simple.

We now move to claim 8, which creates, “before the first round of gameboard creation, creating a new type of neutral terra, which can be arbitrarily called a hole, already residing beneath Chaos, revealed only when Chaos vacates its initial position for the first time by moving by side or corner reaction in a found compass direction.” Thus a new terra sitting beneath Chaos is created by the game, which is revealed when Chaos moves away from its initial position in the game. The emerging plain will have to wait!

We can see the “official” creation of the Hole in the Gameboard in FIG. 18 a , where the legend states that we are again at Creation Round 1, but after player plots, and after Chaos reaction, 1801, in the official Corsicana gameboard, as it was for FIG. 17 b , except that the plain is replaced by the claim 8 amending hole. A black house and white house is plotted, 1802 and 1803, in the same plot clock directions as before (as full evidence to support this statement the residual plot clocks with missing directions are found in FIG. 18 c ), but the vacated terra is indeed a hole, 1804, rather than a plain, as Chaos moves Southwest to the next empty space in that direction, 1805.

In FIG. 18 b we see the Gameboard at “Creation Round 2, before player plots [and also] before Chaos reaction” from that round. As the legend states, 1807. The hole is revealed in 1808, and we see also that the map's compass's center has been transformed to show that Chaos starts on top of the Hole, 1809.

In FIG. 18 c , we see “All Clocks,” as discovered in the legend, 1810, “Creation Round 2, before player plots [and] before Chaos reaction,” and see the Black plot clock missing the eliminated 2, 1811, with hollow letters NE replacing it, and the White plot clock missing the eliminated 4, 1812, with hollow letters SE replacing it, and Chaos, still retaining the reaction clock numeral 6, 1813, from the previous round. That is because, as per the method claims previously revealed, Chaos never loses any numerals from its reaction clock. The two plot clocks, of course, only lose their numerals for the sake of plotting, but retain their original directions for any sliding purposes.

We now move to claim 8, where we find a new step, where “immediately before and immediately after every Chaos reaction, examining the gameboard for any empty space of any size or shape surrounded on all sides by terras, and filling that empty space completely with a new type of neutral tile, which can be arbitrarily called a lake, which further can be arbitrarily considered to be a terra of land surrounding an aqua of lake water.”

In FIG. 19 a we continue to build upon the Corsicana gameboard started with the plot clocks of the previous FIGS. 17 and 18 . We are in Round 2, as shown by the indicator 1901, after player plots by Black 1902 and White 1904 and after Chaos reaction 1906. Black and White both have chosen the same compass direction, West, which corresponds to the numeral 7, 1903 and 1905, for plotting a new terra. The resulting equation of 7+7=14, 1907, following claim 7 Step e) leaves a retained last digit of 4, which is a corner directional move for the Chaos reaction clock, that moves Chaos in a Southeast direction.

In FIG. 19 b , we find the legend for the Corsicana gameboard, 1908. A new mountain is created West of Chaos, 1909, surrounded by a halo to show a new terra. Chaos moves Southeast from 1910 to 1911. Since there are no terras in that direction, Chaos only moves one space to find an empty space. A plain is created in the vacated space of Chaos, 1910. We then follow the step in claim 8, which has the game examine the gameboard map for any empty space of any size or shape surrounded on all sides by terras just before and just after Chaos reactions. Indeed such a space can be found, south of the hole, west of the white house, north of the new location of Chaos, and east of the new plain, after the Chaos reaction, but not before. Thus that empty space is filled with a lake, as shown in 1912, as an aqua, inside a terra, 1913.

The reason an empty space surrounded by land is filled with an aqua of water is due to the logic of claim 8, which is coincidental to the metaphor of the gameboard as an island borne of a volcano in the middle of an ocean, where terras are landed from the vantage of the volcano (or, via sliding, from the vantage of a allied house).

For this featured embodiment of the invention, where all tiles are squares representing either terras of land and/or aquas of water, being surrounded on “all” sides means being surrounded on “all four” sides: on the east, south, west, and north sides. (For the other selected shape of claim 1, a regular hexagon, a lake would be created after an empty space is surrounded on all six sides with water.)

Notice that there is a shoreline of land surrounding the aqua on all four sides, 1913. This means that the lake is, for various rule purposes, not just an aqua of water, as shown at the center of the tile, as shown in 1912, but also a terra of land. (We will see later how this dual property of water-within-land fully operates when we arrive at a later claim 17, involving the connections of extreme ends of strips of land extending in single directions, called “landstrands.”)

A lake, as a body of water of any size and shape conforming to an empty space surrounded on all four sides with land, does not need to be composed with a single tile. There are many ways that a larger number of empty spaces can be suddenly surrounded on all sides by terras. For example, in FIG. 37 , the gameboard island called Beatty (as per the legend 3701) has a large internal lake shaped as a cross, 3704, where the lake comprises a total of five connected aquas. As soon as any empty space (which thus can be large or small) is surrounded on all sides by terras, that empty space becomes a lake. Examining Table 2, building the island round by round, we can see exactly when the cross-shaped lake was created. With square tiles, the “all sides” requirement is all four sides, regardless of surrounded shape. (With hexagon tiles, six sides.) The timing of such a surrounding can be just before or just after Chaos reaction, thus allowing for the possibility that more than one lake can be created during this same round.

Finally, we update our table for building the gameboard Corsicana, by showing the first two rounds of Creation, in Table 1b.

TABLE 1b For FIGS. 19a and 19b: The Player Plot Clock Selections and Chaos Reaction For The Gameboard Map called Corsicana. Corsicana FIGS. 19a-b Round # Black White Chaos 1 2-NE 4-SE 6-SW 2 7-W 7-W 4-SE

We now move to claim 10, which extends the invention more closely to the featured embodiment. This claim adds a starting step for “a player to plot a terra upon a selected space of adjacency that is already occupied by an allied house of one story, arbitrarily called a hut, thereby changing that hut into what is arbitrarily called a tower, of two stories.”

We illustrate this claim with a new page of FIGS. 20 a, 20 b, and 20 c , that together continue to build on the progress of the same gameboard Corsicana shown on the four recent pages of figures, after two full rounds of gameboard creation. In FIG. 20 a , the legend for Corsicana, 2001, shows that we are in “Creation Round 3, before player plots [on any plot clocks, and] before Chaos reaction [to those plots]. The gameboard is accordingly shown.

We see the location of Chaos, at the southern cape of the island, 2002, and we see a white house as a hut of one story, directly Northeast of Chaos. How is player White able to reach this house to build an extra story on top of it?

One way that White is able to build on top of the existing white house is to plot a landing Northeast from one's plot clock. (Because Chaos has been moving in reaction to all players plotting terras, different vantages from Chaos toward existing houses on the island are now possible.) We look to FIG. 20 b , with the legend 2004 stating that we are viewing All Clocks in Creation Round 3, now after player plots, and after Chaos reaction. Thus on the Black plot clock 2005 we see Black choosing 9, meaning Up, as a compass direction, 2006, and White, 2007, choosing 2, meaning Northeast, as a compass direction, 2008, to indeed build the one-story hut into a tower. We add the two plot numerals together to obtain a sum whose last digit will be preserved for Chaos, 2009, in its reaction. Since 9+2=11, preserving the last digit as 1, 2010, we find that 1 corresponds to North on the Chaos reaction clock, and Chaos will react to these two plots by Black and White by moving North.

Let us now examine where the players have plotted their terras, as shown on the gameboard in FIG. 20 c . The gameboard legend, 2011, shows that we are indeed in Round 3 of Corsicana after both player plots. Black has plotted Up, intending to create a terra in the same location as Chaos is, before Chaos is expected to vacate. Thus the black house that will be plotted there will substitute for any plain normally created there if were a vacancy, 2012. A halo appears around this new black house.

White plots from that same Chaos position at 2012 in a Northeast direction, which is where the white house of one story already resides. The first step of claim 9 expressly facilitates the creation of an additional story on top of that one story, 2013, and we see a small numeral 2 above the second roof of the white house to emphasize the two stories there. A halo also appears around the new white tower.

Chaos reacts by moving North. Remember that, according to claim 7 Step e), Substep Chaos must travel in a Northerly direction (as a side direction) until finding the first empty space of what is arbitrarily called ocean void beyond any terra. The first space North of where Chaos was positioned is a lake, which is not empty, but filled with a terra (although centered around an aqua). This is not an empty space! The second space North from Chaos is the hole, which is also not empty, but filled with a terra. But the space North of the hole is indeed empty, and there Chaos travels and stops. We see the progress of Chaos moving through terras that are lined up along a northerly strand of land, 2014, to create a new position one space north of the northernmost extent of that northerly strip of land, 2015. The path Chaos takes is “curvy” north, for illustration purposes, so as to reveal the kinds of terras otherwise underneath.

We again update our table showing the progress of building the gameboard named Corsicana, as shown below.

TABLE 1c For FIGS. 20a, 20b, and 20c: The Player Plot Clock Selections and Chaos Reaction For The Gameboard Map called Corsicana. Corsicana FIGS. 20a-c Round # Black White Chaos 1 2-NE 4-SE 6-SW 2 7-W 7-W 4-SE 3 9-U 2-NE 1-N

We move on in claim 10 Step b) which allows “every such additional plot of a terra on top of a tower to add one additional story to that existing tower.” Thus, under the featured embodiment, with a total of nine directions that can be potentially plotted from different vantage points of Chaos on top of the same space (with one direction designated as a termination of the plot clock) a player can potentially build a tower up to nine stories high if the rare opportunity of advantageous vantage continually presents itself, round after round after round.

In order to better illustrate how combining these first 10 claims can create elegant irregular gameboards that resemble islands of Micronesia, we will continue to build the gameboard Corsicana until it is completed. As we build Corsicana, we will sometimes cite the specific claims that utilize the plot clock and Chaos reaction clock capabilities for players, in order to demonstrate to those familiar with the prior art of gameboard design how powerful the plot compass device, as provided in the claims, can dynamically create various features of the gameboard, with just a few short notations of plot clock and reaction clock direction.

In FIG. 21 a we see the status of the player plot clocks and Chaos reaction clock after the third round is completed, and the fourth round about to begin. The legend for All Clocks is shown at left, 2101, and the Black, White, and Chaos clocks are displayed, 2102, 2104, 2106. Notice that Black and White each have three plot clock numerals eliminated, including 9-Up for Black, 2103, and 2-Northeast for White, 2105, preventing future plots in those directions. Nevertheless, the hollow letters for those directions retain their capabilities for slides. Sliding, remember, is never restricted by eliminated plot directions on any plot clock.

In FIG. 21 b we see the legend for the Gameboard map, Corsicana, 2107. Chaos is positioned as the westmost terra along the northern cape, 2108. With Chaos always serving as the initial vantage point for each player plot compass, we note there are some spaces adjacent to Chaos that are available for plot landings for Black, as shown by adjacent black question marks, such as 2109, adjacent North. But there are some spaces that are not adjacent to Chaos that are also available for plot landings for Black, such as 2112, which is adjacent to a black house that can be accessed from Chaos by first sliding East, and then plotting 3-East, eliminating the 3. (Also, if Black simply plots a landing 3-East from Chaos, onto the black hut, a black tower of two stories can be formed there.)

The player White also has some empty spaces that are available, as shown by the white question marks, such as 2108. White can also plot a landing onto the Chaos position itself, hoping that Chaos will vacate the space, by plotting 9-Up, 2109. Notice that if Black and White plot a landing 1-North onto the same empty space at the same time, as shown with 2109 and 2110, then another mountain at a new northern cape will be created, with Chaos shifting 2-Northeast. Thus with increased familiarity with the plot clock and reaction clock mechanisms and probabilities, players can anticipate various dual-plotting-and-Chaos-movement scenarios and exploit them for possible winning advantage.

So what will Black and White do? Remember that the objective is to be the first player to connect nine houses of your color together into a single territory called a “dominion,” so positioning your houses in small clusters that can be easily connected into larger clusters during rounds of conquest is a good beginner strategy. Let us look at the table below to see the strategic decisions made by Black and White, and how Chaos reacts. Look at the bottom row for the most recent player moves, and most recent Chaos reaction.

TABLE 1d For FIGS. 21a, 21b and 22a, 22b: The Player Plot Clock Selections and Chaos Reaction For The Gameboard Map called Corsicana. Corsicana FIGS. 21a-b Round # Black White Chaos 1 2-NE 4-SE 6-SW 2 7-W 7-W 4-SE 3 9-U 2-NE 1-N 4 E | 4-SE 6-SW 0-D:REPEAT:1-N

Here Black chooses to slide East onto one's own house, to reframe the plot clock, and then plots a landing 4-Southeast from there, eliminating the 4. White, on the other hand, plots a landing 6-Southwest, to create a hole west of the hole.

Notice the notation for sliding is slightly different than that for plotting a landing onto the mapmaking gameboard. Since a slide, when utilized, always arrives as a prefix to a plotted landing, and the slide is not dependent on Black having a particular compass direction available on the plot clock, a slide uses only the compass direction, such as “E” for East, followed by a vertical bar “|” followed by the normal plotted landing instruction of a numeral, hyphen, and the direction the numeral represents: “4-SE.” Thus a slide East before a plotted landing 4-Southeast from the new vantage point would read in notation as “E|4-SE.” The various embodiments of the invention, of course, do not need to follow this exact style of notation—the example only seeks to show that one customary terse description of the slid direction(s) of the framing compass can be always followed by the plotted numeral and plotted direction of the plot clock.

In FIGS. 22 a and 22 b we see the results of these plot clock decisions. In FIG. 22 a we see the All Clocks legend, 2201, setting us at round number 4, after the player plots and Chaos reaction. We see Black 2202 has underlined the East direction, and selected 4-Southeast, 2203, and White 2204 has selected 6-Southwest, 2205. The Chaos reaction clock 2206, takes the sum of these two plot numerals, 4+6=10, with the last digit saved, 0-Down, 2207, which is circled, and, following claim 7, Step e), Substep iii., thereby repeating the reaction of the previous round, which was 1-North, thereby to repeat the Chaos reaction, 2208, also circled.

How did we arrive at this repeated reaction? For the repeat, we look up the table one row up for the previous round, which is Round 3, and find the cell under the column for Chaos to find the direction for the previous round, which was North. (In the computer version of the game, the game is to perform this action automatically.)

In FIG. 22 b we see the result of the plot clock decisions of Black and White. The legend, 2209, tells us we are making Corsicana, and the setting is Round 4, after player plots and after Chaos reaction. Black has slid East and then plotted a landing 4-Southeast, 2210, which results in a black house, surrounded by a halo. White has plotted a house 6-Southwest, 2211, thus a white house, haloed. By following claim 9, we check just before Chaos reaction, and just after Chaos reaction, to see whether an empty space is indeed surrounded on all sides by terras, and if so outline a new lake there. Indeed a new lake has been created, after player plots, but before Chaos reaction, as per that claim language, in the space at 2212. Chaos then reacts to the player plots 4+6=10, leaving behind 0 as the last digit, as per claim 7 Step e) Substep iii. Sub-substep b.: by repeating the Chaos reaction of the previous round, moving 1-North to the next empty space available, which is one space North of its previous position, from 2213 to 2214.

We now move to Round 5, which provides one player with more positional choices to plot a house, and one player with fewer. First we examine the plot clock situation, before player plots, as shown in FIG. 23 a . The legend 2301 shows the setting, which is Creation Round 5, before player plots, and before Chaos reaction. The plot clock for Black, 2302, shows that there are five directional plots available, all in numerals, and of course, 0-Down for termination. The plot clock for White also shows five directional plots available, along with 0-Down for termination, 2303. The Chaos reaction clock, 2304, never eliminates directions from its compass, because Chaos never plots its own terras as if it were a player.

By the fifth round, the two players face new constraints and new capabilities. When we examine the gameboard in FIG. 23 b , as shown by the legend of 2305, we find that the sheer number of spaces available to the two players is very different from the new vantage of Chaos, 2306. Black, by the count of black question marks, for example at 2307, 2310, or 2311, can provide a plotted landing of a terra to eight allied or empty spaces. White, on the other hand, by the count of white question marks, for example at 2308 and 2309, can optionally plot in a total only four allied or empty spaces. Thus when it comes to strategically plotting an arrangement of new houses into new territories that are either connected or unconnected, Black has an enormous advantage, due to the increased optionality of having so many spaces so available.

The expanding reach of Black is due in part to Black's potential ability to slide. For example, Black has the ability to plot a tower on the house directly Southeast of Chaos, 2310. Yet a quick glance at the Black plot clock shows that Black has no Southeast plot capability—the 4 that was there in the previous round was at that time eliminated. But Black has the ability to slide from that Southeast house into the house further Southeast, 2311, and then double-back by plotting a landing 8-Northwest to, again, 2310. The move would read: SE, SE|8-NW. Also, a more verbose order log can be written out that expresses such a move for Black. “Black: From Chaos slide Southeast to a black house, and Southeast again to another black house, then plot 8-Northwest to the most previous black house, to plot the second story of a tower there.” The computer takes care of the verbosity as long as the player Black takes care of the terse plot clock notation: again SE, SE|8-NW.

With so many allied and empty spaces to choose from for plotting, Black can be very creative in clustering black houses together, in ways that White is presently unable to do. Below in Table 1e we find that Black has decided to slide Southeast twice, to a distant black house, but instead of doubling-back, Black plots a landing 3-East! White has conservatively chosen to plot a landing 1-North from Chaos. Chaos has reacted by moving 4-Southeast. How does this change the gameboard map? Let us examine the table below, first.

TABLE 1e For FIGS. 24a and 24b: The Player Plot Clock Selections and Chaos Reaction For The Gameboard Map called Corsicana. Corsicana FIGS. 24a-b Round # Black White Chaos 1 2-NE 4-SE 6-SW 2 7-W 7-W 4-SE 3 9-U 2-NE 1-N 4 E | 4-SE 6-SW 0-D:REPEAT:1-N 5 SE, SE | 3-E 1-N 4-SE

We now turn to FIGS. 24 a and 24 b to see the plotted landings of Black and White during the 5^(th) round. In FIG. 24 a we find the legend for All Clocks, 2401, and the two plot clocks for Black, 2402, for White 2403, and the reaction clock for Chaos 2404. We see that Black has plotted a landing 3-East, and White 1-North, making Chaos react with a 4-Southeast move. (Note that Black has SE underlined twice for Black's two slides. 4-SE as a plot has been eliminated, but that did not restrict any slides from taking place.)

In FIG. 24 b , the legend Corsicana, 2405, provides a setting for us: we are in Creation Round 5, showing the gameboard after player plots and just after Chaos reaction. Black has plotted the black house after two slides SE to create an eastern cape surrounded by a halo, 2406. White has plotted a white house to create a far northern cape surrounded by a halo, 2407. Chaos has moved from its northern location, 2408, traveling southeast three spaces (the curvy trajectory is simply a graphically friendly way of showing the type of terras that are being traversed) until finding an empty space to form a new southeast cape, just south one space of the new black house 2409.

After five rounds we can see that an emerging irregular shape to the Corsicana gameboard, along with an irregular distribution of different types of terras. Except for the creation of the Hole and of Chaos at the beginning of the game (creation by the game as a persistent feature in all later embodiments), all of the features without exception were wholly created by player plot selection of directions on their plot compasses, and the Chaos reaction to those plotted selections. All of this from two Basic Plot Clocks, and one Basic Chaos Reaction Clock! And we have potentially four more plots left remaining to both Black and to White, before the required terminations of clocks.

We now move to the sixth round, and FIGS. 25 a and 25 b . In FIG. 25 a we see the All Clocks legend 2501, stating that we are indeed in the sixth round, before the action of player plot clocks and the reaction of the Chaos clock. The Black plot clock, 2502, has four constructive directions available: 1-North, 5-South, 6-Southwest, and 8-Northwest, and the termination selection as 0-Down. The White plot clock, 2503, has the 3-East, 5-South, 8-Northwest, and the 9-Up as constructive directions available, along with the termination selection of 0-Down. The Chaos reaction clock, 2504, as always, is not altered in any way, waiting for the sum of the two player plot clocks to determine a found compass direction.

In FIG. 25 b , we see the legend for the Corsicana gameboard, 2505, and the location of Chaos, 2506. This location is the initial vantage point for the two player plot clocks before players plot their landings (with or without slides) of yet another (hopefully) Black and/or White terra onto the gameboard. All the empty and allied spaces for potential plots by Black and White are shown, with one space for both players indicated by two question marks, 2507. The empty and allied spaces for Black, for example the space indicated by 2508, sum up to nine, in part due to the flexibility of sliding from Chaos onto any connected allied black house as an extra vantage for plotting a landing. The empty and allied spaces for White, though, number only to three, one of which is 2509, due to the lack of a single white house connected to the current vantage of Chaos. But what will Black and White select for the sixth round?

We find out the Black and White decisions by looking at the very last row (so far) of the table below.

TABLE 1f For FIGS. 26a and 26b: The Player Plot Clock Selections and Chaos Reaction For The Gameboard Map called Corsicana. Corsicana FIGS. 26a-b Round # Black White Chaos 1 2-NE 4-SE 6-SW 2 7-W 7-W 4-SE 3 9-U 2-NE 1-N 4 E | 4-SE 6-SW 0-D:REPEAT:1-N 5 SE, SE | 3-E 1-N 4-SE 6 5-S 3-E 8-NW

In the last row of the table above, we see that Black has selected a simple plot landing of 5-South, and White one of 3-East. Adding those two player plots together gain us a sum of 8, whose last digit is (of course) 8, and therefore 8-Northwest is selected for Chaos reaction.

In FIG. 26 a , we find the legend for All Clocks 2601, and the Black plot clock, 2602, which has 5-South selected and thus eliminated. The White plot clock, 2603, has 3-West selected and this eliminated. The Chaos reaction clock 2604 has the 8-Northwest found direction selected with a circle. No elimination for the Chaos reaction clock. Also, there are no slides with either plot clock.

In FIG. 26 b , we find the gameboard legend for Corsicana, 2605. The black house has been placed directly South of the Chaos position, 2606, and the white house has been placed directly East of the Chaos position, 2607. Both new houses have halos surrounding them. The location of Chaos, 2608, changes—with Chaos moving Northwest, to the very first empty space in that direction, four terras away, all the way to a new position at 2609. A plain is left behind in the far off wake of Chaos movement, at 2608.

We now move to Creation Round 7, as illustrated by FIGS. 27 a and 27 b . The All Clocks legend is shown first, 2701, showing that we are indeed in the 7th Round before any player plots or Chaos reaction. The plot clocks of Black, 2702, White, 2703, and the reaction clock of Chaos, 2704, are shown. Black has a total of three constructive directions to choose from, 1-North, 6-Southwest, or 8-Northwest, or else 0-Down, to terminate the clock for this Creation Phase of the game. White can choose 5-South, 8-Northwest, or 9-Up (which would place a white house just above the current Chaos position, landing there, hoping that the Chaos reaction would move Chaos away from that space). White also has the destructive direction of 0-Down to choose, which would terminate the plot clock for the remainder of the entire Creation Phase of the game.

In FIG. 27 b , we see the various empty and allied spaces available to each player. The legend for the gameboard for Corsicana is at 2705, the position of Chaos at 2706, with a Northwest example of an empty space where both players can plot at the same time, for a mountain, or else, with only one player plotting there, one lonely house, as revealed by two question marks, one black, one white, at 2707. An empty space for Black alone to plot is shown 2708. An empty space for White alone to plot is shown 2709. Notice that Black has only three empty spaces for plotting, and White has five empty or allied spaces for plotting. The tables have been turned between Black and White, just by one fortunate move in White's favor by Chaos, away from the large neighborhood cluster of black houses in the southern and east-to-southeastern sections of the island! White now has more options than Black because a white house stands next to Chaos as a potential vantage point for sliding with the white plot compass. But which directions (or termination) will Black and White choose?

We see the choices of the two players in the bottom row of the table below.

TABLE 1g For FIGS. 28a and 28b: The Player Plot Clock Selections and Chaos Reaction For The Gameboard Map called Corsicana. Corsicana FIGS. 28a-b Round # Black White Chaos 1 2-NE 4-SE 6-SW 2 7-W 7-W 4-SE 3 9-U 2-NE 1-N 4 E | 4-SE 6-SW 0-D:REPEAT:1-N 5 SE, SE | 3-E 1-N 4-SE 6 5-S 3-E 8-NW 7 8-NW E | 9-U 7-W

Looking at the table above, Black performs a simple plot of a terra 8-Northwest of Chaos. White slides East one space and then after that slide plots a terra 9-Up, in the position of Chaos, hoping that Chaos upon reaction will vacate its space, leaving a white house behind. We sum up the two player plots from their respective plot clocks, 8+9=17, and we retain the last digit, 7, corresponding to the found direction 7-West, for Chaos reaction.

In FIGS. 28 a and 28 b we see the full results of the above player plot choices. In FIG. 28 a , the All Clocks legend, 2801, shows that we are in Creation Round 7, after the player plots have been chosen, and after Chaos reaction. The Black plot clock, 2802, shows that the direction 8-Northwest has been chosen and eliminated. The White plot clock, 2803, shows that the direction 9-Up has been chosen and eliminated, but the hollow East direction is underlined for a prefixing slide. The Chaos reaction clock, 2804, shows that when we compute 9+8=17, and we preserve the last digit of that sum as 7, the direction of Chaos reaction can be circled and found: as 7-West.

In FIG. 28 b , we see what happens to the gameboard of Corsicana, as indicated in the legend, 2805. The black house is plotted Northwest of the pre-reaction position of Chaos, 2806, and the white house is plotted east of the pre-reaction position of Chaos, giving the hut there a second story, as a white tower, 2807. The pre-reaction position of Chaos is shown, 2808, and receives a plain in place of Chaos as it moves west, to its new position one space in that direction, 2809. We note that if White had plotted 9-Up in that position without sliding, a white house would appear from where Chaos moves away, and no plain would emerge beneath Chaos vacating the space.

We now move to the 8^(th) round of the Creation Phase, and FIGS. 29 a and 29 b . In FIG. 29 a we see the legend for All Clocks, 2901. The Black plot clock, 2902, has 1-North and 6-Southwest available as constructive directions for landing a plotted terra, and of course 0-Down to terminate the plot clock early. The White plot clock, 2903, has 5-South and 8-Northwest available as constructive directions for landing a plotted terra, and, for early termination of the plot clock, 0-Down. The Chaos reaction clock, 2904, always preserves all of its found and unfound directions at all times.

In FIG. 29 b , we see what these plot options mean in terms of positioning new terras on the gameboard. The legend for Corsicana is shown 2905. Chaos is located just one space south of the present north cape of the island, at 2906. There are question marks in place in the empty and allied spaces near Chaos or near the adjacent black house for each player to make a plot. Not many spaces left! Black has four different spaces for plotting, because of the sliding rules of claim 5—one such space represents Black sliding North once to the black house and then plotting 6-Southwest to a space west of Chaos: 2907. White only has two different spaces for plotting, for example 8-Northwest to 2908. Notice that there are no spaces filled with double question marks, meaning that no mountains can be created during this round. What will Black and White choose as their moves for Round 8 of creation? Look at the last row of the next table shown.

TABLE 1h For FIGS. 30a and 30b: The Player Plot Clock Selections and Chaos Reaction For The Gameboard Map called Corsicana. Corsicana FIGS. 30a-b Round # Black White Chaos 1 2-NE 4-SE 6-SW 2 7-W 7-W 4-SE 3 9-U 2-NE 1-N 4 E | 4-SE 6-SW 0-D:REPEAT:1-N 5 SE, SE | 3-E 1-N 4-SE 6 5-S 3-E 8-NW 7 8-NW E | 9-U 7-W 8 N | 6-SW 5-S 1-N

We look above to the last row of Table 1h to see that Black has slid North one space, to a black house there, and then plotted a landing of another black house 6-Southwest of there. White has simply plotted a landing of a white house 5-South of Chaos. Adding these two numbers up into a sum yields 6+5=11, and we retain the last digit 1, to find the compass reaction of Chaos, which is 1-North.

We now go to FIGS. 30 a and 30 b to see the results of these logged plot clock actions. In FIG. 30 a , we find the legend for All Clocks, 3001, with Black, 3002, selecting and eliminating 6-Southwest (with 1-North underlined for the prefix of sliding), and White 3003, selecting and eliminating 5-South, from their respective plot clocks. We also see that the found Chaos direction on the Chaos reaction clock, 3004, is 1-North, circled.

We now move to the island Corsicana to view the effect of these plots and reactions to the gameboard, in FIG. 30 b . The legend for Corsicana shows that we are after the player plots and after the Chaos reaction, 3005. Black has plotted a black house west of Chaos, 3006, but got there by sliding first North (which requires no plot to be eliminated, and could have been used even if the plot direction of North was eliminated many rounds ago), and then by plotting a landing 6-Southwest from there. A halo thus appears around the new black house.

White on the other hand, has simply plotted a white house just south of Chaos, 3007. A halo appears around the white house.

The old position of Chaos, 3008, now has a plain left behind in the wake of Chaos reaction movement 1-North, just past the black house there, to the first empty space beyond all the land of the island, 3009. (The curvature of reaction movement is simply to reveal all of the terras beneath the traversed path.) This concludes Round 8 of Creation.

We now move to the 9th round, to FIGS. 31 a and 31 b . We see the legend for all clocks, 3101, and the almost-pruned plot clocks of Black, 3102, and White, 3103. Black only has one constructive direction, 1-North, for plotting a landing on the gameboard. Black could also choose the destruction of its plot clock, with 0-Down. Black can also slide to any of two adjacently accessible terras, and then plot 1-North from either place. White only has 8-Northwest as a constructive direction, along with the destructive 0-Down which would destroy the plot clock for the remaining rounds of Creation (yet only the opportunity to plot 8-Northwest during this round would be sacrificed). The Chaos reaction clock, always intact with a full array of possible directions, is shown 3104.

In FIG. 31 b , we find the legend for the Corsicana gameboard map, 3105. The current position of Chaos is shown, 3106. All of the question marks represent places where Black and White may plot their last houses in the Creation Phase of the game.

The black question marks, like 3107, shows where Black may plot a final black house into the gameboard during creation. There are three black question marks, for three empty spaces to plot a house. For example, a house may be plotted on top of Chaos, 3106, hoping that Chaos will move in a direction along either a side or corner, and therefore instead of a plain remaining in its wake, a black house will be successfully plotted there. That would be enabled by a slide S, and then a plot 1-North. Also a double slide South and Southwest to the black houses adjacent to the plain and then plotting 1-North will create a new black house there, 3107.

White on the other hand, lacking any ability to slide, has only one constructive plot opportunity, which is a simple landing 8-Northwest of Chaos to 3108. But White may also choose to terminate the white plot clock with 0-Down.

What will Black and White each choose? Remember, that each player will make selections on their respective plot clocks any choices they individually make, without letting the other player know until such commitments are both irrevocably made.

TABLE 1i For FIGS. 32a and 32b: The Player Plot Clock Selections and Chaos Reaction For The Gameboard Map called Corsicana. Corsicana FIGS. 32a-b Round # Black White Chaos 1 2-NE 4-SE 6-SW 2 7-W 7-W 4-SE 3 9-U 2-NE 1-N 4 E | 4-SE 6-SW 0-D:REPEAT:1-N 5 SE, SE | 3-E 1-N 4-SE 6 5-S 3-E 8-NW 7 8-NW E | 9-U 7-W 8 N | 6-SW 5-S 1-N 9 1-N 8-NW 9-U

We see from the last row of the table above that Black simply plotted a landing 1-North of Chaos, and White also simply plotted a landing 8-Northwest of Chaos. We add the two plot clock selections as 1+8=9, which makes Chaos stay in place, as per claim 7 Step e) Substep ii.

We see the results of the plot clock choices in FIGS. 32 a and 32 b . The legend for All Clocks shows that we are in Creation Round 9, after player plots and after Chaos reaction. The Black plot clock, 3202, shows the selection and elimination of 1-North, while the White plot clock, 3203, shows the selection and elimination of 8-Northwest, 3203. The Chaos reaction clock shows the sum of these two plots is circled, 9-Up, which keeps Chaos in place, 3204.

In FIG. 32 b , we see the results of these plot clock choices afterwards. The legend for the gameboard Corsicana is shown, 3205, with the new black house plotted north of the old position of Chaos, 3206, and the white house plotted northwest of the old position of Chaos, 3207. Chaos remains in place with the 9-Up found direction, 3208.

We now move to Creation Round 10, with FIGS. 33 a and 33 b . We find the legend for “All Clocks,” stating that though we are indeed with Round 10, we are still before any player plots, or before any Chaos reaction. The only selections available are the 0-Down terminations of the Creation Phase plot clocks. We thus know the selections will add up into the equation of 0+0=0 with the last zero the Chaos reaction, which after claim 7 Step e) Substep iii Sub-substep b. means that the last round reaction will be repeated. Alas, the repeat will only be a static 9-Up, which will keep Chaos in place.

In FIG. 33 b , we see the legend for Corsicana, Creation Round 10, 3205, and the position of Chaos, which is 3208. The table below finishes the plot clocks and Chaos reactions for the Creation Phase of the game.

TABLE 1j For FIGS. 34a and 34b, and FIG. 36: The Player Plot Clock Selections and Chaos Reaction For The Gameboard Map called Corsicana. Corsicana FIG. 36 Round # Black White Chaos 1 2-NE 4-SE 6-SW 2 7-W 7-W 4-SE 3 9-U 2-NE 1-N 4 E | 4-SE 6-SW 0-D:REPEAT:1-N 5 SE, SE | 3-E 1-N 4-SE 6 5-S 3-E 8-NW 7 8-NW E | 9-U 7-W 8 N | 6-SW 5-S 1-N 9 1-N 8-NW 9-U 10 0-D 0-D 0-D:REPEAT:9-U

The table shows that 0-Down was selected by both Black and White, and the sum of the two clocks was 0+0=0, and thus 0-Down as a Chaos reaction repeats the previous round of Chaos reaction: 9-Up. With 9-Up Chaos remains in place, and then falls dormant.

In FIG. 34 a , we see the legend for All Clocks, 3401, revealing the plot clock selections of both Black and White, 3402 and 3403, with 0-Down for both of them, as terminations of their plot clocks. Because 0+0=0, Chaos reacts with 0-Down, repeating the last round of Chaos reaction, which was 9-Up. As with such repeats, 0-Down and 9-Up are both circled on the Chaos reaction clock.

In FIG. 34 b , we find that 3405 is the legend for Corsicana, after plot clocks and Chaos reaction. But because no new houses or mountains have been plotted, and because Chaos reaction is frozen in a static position, the gameboard only changes in one way: Chaos changes color, to show that Chaos is dormant, 3406. Chaos will move no more. No more new terra positions will be created. The shaping of the island is complete. The Creation Phase of the game is over.

Table 1j shows that 10 simple plot compass actions of each player, for a total of 20 between Black and White, along with 10 simple Chaos compass reactions, can create an island with the terrain variety of FIG. 34 b , Corsicana. This island displays irregular complexity in shape, and also, irregular complexity in its distribution of various types of terra. Yet this island was created in a totally unexpected way that was yet wholly deterministic by the actions of players using their player plot compasses.

Let us review the various terras that make up the Corsicana island, as shown in FIG. 35 . The legend, 3501, shows that the Corsicana island is displayed after the player plots and Chaos reaction of Round 10. Chaos, with black filling the terra outside the x, and white inside the x, is shown as a dormant volcano, 3502. A black house, specifically a one-story hut is shown, 3503, and a white house, also a one-story hut, is shown, 3504. A plain is shown at 3505. A mountain is shown at 3506. A cratered hole, serving as the origin of the island and the starting point of Chaos before Round 1, is shown at 3507. Two white two-story towers are shown at 3508 and 3509. One of two lakes is shown at 3510. Each of these terras can have different arbitrary names attached to them. Each of these terras can have different terrain rules regarding how pieces move in, out, or thru them on the gameboard. Only two of these terras, Chaos, and the Hole, are creations of the initial state of the game without input by the two players. But these, as part of the featured embodiment, were created before any plots by any player. Every other terrain and terrain position was created by the process and method of two players blindly plotting on a simultaneous basis over the ten rounds of play.

Looking at FIG. 36 , we now move to a new dependent claim 11, after the termination of all of the individual plot clocks, where that termination is demonstrated on row 10 of the Table 1j with the two 0-Down selections of the two plot clocks of Black and White. The Corsicana gameboard, of the legend, 3601, is transformed after terminating the plot clocks, by “Gameboard Population begins, and Intermission between Gameboard Creation and Gameboard Piece Movement, consisting of three mandatory steps, starting with claim 11 Step a): “counting any complete set of connected houses sharing the player's mark of only one player as that player's allied territory.” This is followed by claim 11 Step b): “placing exactly one allied player's piece into each such allied territory.” In Corsicana, for player Black, we count three such territories, knowing that territories can be connected by any adjacency via side and corner of any two neighboring terras, as well as adjacency of any two terras that lie at the extreme ends of landstrands, connected by portal. Thus we place Ba, 3602, Be, and Bi into the terra within each territory that is in the topmost row, and among more than one terra in such a row, the terra to the farthest left. We do the same for the six territories of White, and place Wa, 3603, We, Wi, Wo, Wu, and Wy in their respective terras.

Finally, we surround the island found in FIG. 35 with sea aquas, as found in claim 11 Step c): “filling each and every empty space that touches any outer corner or outer side of any existing terra with a new neutral tile of selected shape, where that new neutral tile can be arbitrarily called an aqua of sea water.” One example of such a tile is 3604, touching the Northeastern corner of the terra occupied by Ba. Thus we obtain the sea-surrounded island of Corsicana in FIG. 36 . An optional canal is shown at 3605, along with an optional boat, 3606. (Canals and boats are shown here in Gameboard Population but are part of rules well outside of the purview of the plot compass invention, and so are not widely discussed. Holes serve as initial boatyards for the game, which is why every side or corner touching water from the hole has a boat.) There are also two grid markers shown, one letter, K, 3607, and the number 10, 3608. These grid letters and numbers help locate any terra or aqua on the gameboard. For example, the white house with Wa, 3603, is located at grid location B2.

Due to the different claim languages of claim 9 (for fresh-water lakes) and claim 11 (for salt-water sea), we illustrate two different kinds of aqua. A good rule of thumb for islands created with the featured embodiment of a square—is that aquas of salt water always surround the island on all four sides, whereas aquas of a lake are always surround-ed by terras of the island on all four sides.

Before we shift our attention away from the beginner's Basic Plot Clock, whose configuration was first introduced in FIG. 13 b , let us examine some table and illustrated examples of the sheer variety of irregular gameboard shapes and irregular gameboard terrain distributions that can be created by two players, Black and White, using only Basic Plot Clocks, making sums that are picked by a Basic Reaction Clock for Chaos. Each island is constructed the same way from before the first round, with Chaos first sitting on top of the collapsed caldera of the cratered hole, with Black and White then holding secret order logs recording their respective plotting moves from their plot clocks, before executing those moves, simultaneously, on a round-by-round basis. Basic Plot Clock selections by Black and White all summed up into Basic Reaction Clock discoveries over a maximum of ten rounds are shown in forthcoming tables and figures.

For example, Table 2, shown below, shows every plotted landing of terras by Black and White, and every resulting Chaos reaction, used to create a gameboard called Beatty, as shown in FIG. 37 . All of the information in the Table reflects selections by the two players on Basic Plot Clocks, and the Chaos reactions to those selections. Notice that the player Black terminates one's own plot clock early in the 6th round, executing a 0-Down selection. In the later rounds, the absence of Black creates a positive feedback loop for White and Chaos reaction, where Chaos essentially shifts in the same direction as plotted white houses, seemingly leapfrogging after them.

TABLE 2 For FIG. 37: Player Plot Clock Selections and Chaos Reactions Making The Gameboard called Beatty. Beatty FIG. 37 Round # Black White Chaos 1 2-NE 4-SE 6-SW 2 1-N 9-U 0-D:REPEAT:6-SW 3 7-W 7-W 4-SE 4 9-U 6-SW 5-S 5 N | 5-S W | 8-NW 3-E 6 0-D 2-NE 2-NE 7 — 1-N 1-N 8 — 3-E 3-E 9 — 5-S 5-S 10 — 0-D 0-D:REPEAT:5-S

In the legend of FIG. 37, 3701 , Beatty is named as the gameboard, with the time setting between the Creation Phase and the Piece Movement Phase, better described as Gameboard Population. A black starbug named Be is indicated at 3702, and a white starbug named Wa is shown at 3703. A distinctive cross-shaped lake is comprised of five aquas, centered at E5, is shown at 3704. This lake connects to other aquas via five canals. Also, on the shorelines of the hole located in C5, there are four boats, two touching fresh water lakes, two touching salt water seas.

We move to Table 3, and FIG. 38 : the gameboard Cambysis.

TABLE 3 For FIG. 38: the Player Plot Clock Selections and Chaos Reactions Making The Gameboard called Cambysis. Cambysis FIG. 38 Round # Black White Chaos 1 2-NE 6-SW 8-NW 2 1-N 1-N 2-NE 3 4-SE 9-U 3-E 4 S | 3-E 7-W 0-D:REPEAT:3-E 5 5-S 2-NE 7-W 6 6-SW 8-NW 4-SE 7 7-W 3-E 0-D:REPEAT:4-SE 8 9-U 4-SE 3-E 9 0-D N | 5-S 5-S 10 — 0-D 0-D:REPEAT:5-S

In this table, there are three repeats of Chaos reactions of previous rounds, during Rounds 4, 7, and 10, and the construction of three towers at D6, D7, and H8. If the Creation Phase between two players ends with both terminating their plot clocks in the same round, Chaos will then repeat a reaction from the previous round, and will frequently end up at the very end of a cape or peninsula. This is what has happened with both Beatty and Cambysis at the end of the Creation Phase. We will again see this phenomenon in the islands of Crivitz, Farragut, and Flicka as the remaining completed islands, all the way up to FIG. 41 .

We next move to Table 4, and FIG. 39 for the gameboard named Crivitz.

TABLE 4 For FIG. 39: Plot Clock Selections and Chaos Reactions Making The Gameboard called Crivitz. Crivitz FIG. 39 Round # Black White Chaos 1 2-NE 4-SE 6-SW 2 5-S 7-W 2-NE 3 3-E 3-E 6-SW 4 4-SE 1-N 5-S 5 7-W 9-U 6-SW 6 9-U NE | 8-NW 7-W 7 8-NW 6-SW 4-SE 8 1-N 5-S 6-SW 9 6-SW 0-D 6-SW 10 0-D — 0-D:REPEAT:6-SW

We notice that there are no repeats of Chaos reaction in this gameboard during the Creation Phase, until the tenth round, involving double termination, but many reactions in the direction of 6-Southwest (a total of six reactions in that direction), helping to explain the long diogonal stretch of the island (from lower left to upper right). Indeed, after Round 10, Chaos rests in dormancy at grid location M2, but in Round 2 Chaos was as far away at B11.

TABLE 5 For FIG. 40: Plot Clock Selections and Chaos Reactions Making The Gameboard called Farragut. Farragut FIG. 40 Round # Black White Chaos 1 2-NE 6-SW 8-NW 2 7-W 7-W 4-SE 3 3-E 5-S 8-NW 4 1-N 2-NE 3-E 5 9-U 1-N 0-D:REPEAT:3-E 6 W, NW | 6-SE NW | 4-SE 0-D:REPEAT:3-E 7 S | 4-SE W | 8-NW 2-NE 8 5-S 9-U 4-SE 9 W | 8-NW 3-E 1-N 10 0-D 0-D O-D:REPEAT:1-N

We next move to Table 5, shown above, and FIG. 40 , where a more compact gameboard is presented, for Farragut, as shown in the legend at 4001. This gameboard is also notable because at C4 there is a three-story tower, where the white starbug Wa resides.

TABLE 6 For FIG. 41: Plot Clock Selections and Chaos Reactions Making The Gameboard called Flicka. Flicka FIG. 41 Round # Black White Chaos 1 2-NE 4-SE 6-SE 2 7-W 7-W 4-SE 3 NE | 3-E 9-U 2-NE 4 5-S 4-SE 9-U 5 2-NE SE | 8-NW 0-D:REPEAT:9-U 6 NE | 1-N SE | 3-E 4-SE 7 9-U 6-SW 5-S 8 6-SW 5-S 1-N 9 NW | NW-8 0-D 8-NW 10 0-D — 0-D:REPEAT: 8-NW

Finally we move to Table 6, above, and FIG. 41 , where the gameboard Flicka is presented. A network of four interlocking lakes, some directly accessible from two of the five boats surrounding the hole, is a major feature of the island.

After viewing these gameboards, we can estimate that the plot compass, in all embodiments, including the featured embodiment version of the plot compass called the plot clock, is able to create either many hundreds (immediately after claim 1) or many billions (immediately after claim 11) of custom gameboards, with each embodiment offering a rich variety of unexpected shapes and/or configurations of terrain. Such estimates are based on a rough reading of permutation theory over 9 constructive rounds, with 1 terminating round, for each player.

Having demonstrated the sheer variety of gameboards available to players wielding only Basic Plot Clocks, we now move to showing how to scramble the numerals of any plot clock in a way that, rather than being random, is purely strategic and caused solely by players, and yet has the apparent effect of a randomized substitution.

Thus we move to claim 12, which can followed more closely by examining the rows and columns of Tables 7a through 7e below, placed between FIGS. 42 a and 42 b . First we show Table 7a.

TABLE 7a Between FIGS. 42a and 42b: Starting A Table Of Scrambling To Fulfill the Game Method of Claim 12. Columns One Through Four Unfilled. Scrambling Caused by the Creation of the The Scrambling of Custom Gameboard the Plot Clock For Named “Beatty,” Player Black In Shown In FIG. 37. Four Columns Column One Column Two Column Three Column Four

Recall that the configurations of player plot clocks and Chaos reaction clocks in claim 6 Step c) can be any arrangement of numerals that allow for the assignment of a unique numeral to each compass direction. FIGS. 42 a and 42 b shows one such configuration, on a Before claim 12 basis (FIG. 42 a ) and After claim 12 basis (FIG. 42 b ). Of course, any scramble of digits can be randomized, where the randomization is set completely apart from willful player actions. But a pure strategic game must abide by the rule that player actions alone dictate winning or losing outcomes.

Thus strategic players, when selecting a plot clock direction during a round of gameboard creation will be cognizant not only of the immediate implications of such a selection, but also of the future implication of creating a different plot clock, with a different assignment of numerals to directions during Piece Movement (if a scrambled plot clock is to be first used for the moving all player pieces) or for the very next game's Creation Phase (if a scrambled plot clock is to be first used upon making a the next game's gameboard).

In FIG. 42 a we show the legend for Black's Basic Plot Clock used to create the gameboard Beatty, 4201. In this legend, titled with “Plot Clock” we see that the status of the plot clock is that it was “Used by Black either during Creation Phase or during last game of play.” We see that the plot clock is for Black, 4202, the plot clock is in its starting position surrounding Chaos, 4203, (though no plotting takes place during the steps of this claim).

We next examine some of the numerals that are uniquely paired to specific directions on the Basic Plot Clock. The numeral for direction Down is 0, 4204, for direction North is 1, 4205, and for direction Northeast is 2, 4206. Purely for orienting a reader of the patent disclosure, we mark the instruction “See Table 7e Column 4 to get substitutions . . . ” with 4207.

We now turn to this Table 7, and read the language of claim 12, to learn how these initial numerals of the Basic Plot Clock are changed to obtain the numerals of a new scrambled plot clock, via a method that maintains the standing of the game disclosed by the patent as one of pure strategy.

Claim 12 starts with a preamble: referencing itself as a dependent claim to claim 11. Claim 12 takes place “after the last round of Gameboard Creation, before the use of a different configuration of a plot clock.”

When might this claim be used? Tournament directors may utilize this claim when providing a new plot clock to each player between a Creation Phase (when a plot clock is provided to each player to help make a gameboard) and a Piece Movement Phase (when a plot clock is provided to each player's piece for movement) in the same game. Or, a tournament may utilize this claim when providing a new plot clock to each player for each new game, in between the end of the Piece Movement Phase of the last game, and the Creation Phase of such a new game.

After the preamble, claim 12 then moves to the first Step a), which is “for each player plot clock already used to create a custom gameboard, creating a table whereby:” a step followed by four substeps.

The starting manifestation of such a table is created later in claim 12 Step a), as we follow the first Substep i: “in each new row of the first column, listing in ascending order from first to last, the maximum number of rounds that could have been played during the most previous session of gameboard creation.”

In our Basic Plot Clock (which was re-introduced in FIG. 42 a ) there are a total of ten possible directions that can be selected: the four sides (North, East, South, West), the four corners (Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest), and the two extra-dimensional aspects (Up, Down). (We recall that our “second” extra-dimensional aspect of Down is used to terminate the plot clock during a round of play.)

Thus there are a maximum of ten rounds that can be conducted by any player using this plot clock. We list in the leftmost first column of Table 7 below, where indeed all 10 rounds that are possible (also knowing also that each plot clock numeral ranging from 0 to 9 can be selected exactly once in each round, the maximum number of rounds is 10). We thus list each Round Number in each row, starting with 1 for the 1^(st), and 10 for the 10^(th).

See Table 7b below.

TABLE 7b Between FIGS. 42a and 42b: A Table Of Scrambling To Fulfill the Game Method of Claim 12. Columns One Filled, Two Through Four To Be Filled. Scrambling Caused by the Creation of the The Scrambling of Custom Gameboard the Plot Clock For Named “Beatty,” Player Black In Shown In FIG. 37. Four Columns List in Order From First To Last The Maximum Possible Number of Rounds That Could Have Been Played 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

We then move to Substep ii.: “in each row of the second column listing in order from lowest to highest, all of the numerals of the given plot clock, starting with 0 for Round 1, and ending with the highest numeral for the final round.” In our second column in Table 7c below, the highest numeral of course is 9, so that is assigned to the 10^(th) round.

See Table 7c below.

TABLE 7c Between FIGS. 42a and 42b: A Table Of Scrambling To Fulfill the Game Method of Claim 12. Columns One Through Two Filled. Scrambling Caused by the Creation of the The Scrambling of Custom Gameboard the Plot Clock For Named “Beatty,” Player Black In Shown In FIG. 37. Four Columns List in Order From List in Order The First To Last The Plot Clock Maximum Possible Numerals from 0 Number of Rounds to the Maximum That Could Have Digit Been Played 0 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 10

We then move to the third Substep iii: “in each row of the third column, for each round of play where a numeral of the plot clock was selected, recording that selected plot clock numeral, and for those remaining rounds where no numeral of the plot clock was selected, recording the smallest among the remaining unselected plot clock numerals, thereby in both cases together obtaining a unique plot clock numeral.”

We look at the second column denoting Black, to find the round-by-round order of Black plot clock choices, and find that in the first round, for example, 2-NE was selected, so for our first row and third column of Table 7d we place a 2. We also note that Black terminated the player plot clock in the 6^(th) round, which is denoted with a 0-D, and so for the 6^(th) row we place a 0. The seventh round is the first round where no plot clock selection was made by Black, and so the smallest among the remaining unselected plot clock numerals is the numeral 3, and thus the seventh row gets a 3. The tenth row gets an 8, which is the only unselected numeral after smaller numbers were selected for the seventh thru ninth rounds.

See Table 7d below.

TABLE 7d Between FIGS. 42a and 42b: A Table Of Scrambling To Fulfill the Game Method of Claim 12. Columns One Through Three Filled. Scrambling Caused by the Creation of the The Scrambling of Custom Gameboard the Plot Clock For Named “Beatty,” Player Black In Shown In FIG. 37. Four Columns List in Ascending List in Ascending Record the Plot Clock Order From First To Order The Plot Numeral Selected by Last The Maximum Clock Numerals Player for Round Of Possible Number of from 0 to the Column 1, Then List Rounds That Could Maximum Digit Remaining Unselected Have Been Played 0 Smallest Plot Clock 1 1 Numeral 2 2 2 3 3 1 4 4 7 5 5 9 6 6 5 7 7 0 8 8 3 9 9 4 10 6 8

We now move to the fourth column of Table 7 with Substep iv.: “in each row of the fourth column “putting” the alternate plot clock numeral of the third column “in the position” of the old plot clock numeral of the second column.” Thus the first row states “Put 2 in 0 position.” The second row states “Put 1 in 1 position.” The sixth row states “Put 0 in 5 position.” See Table 7e below.

TABLE 7e Between FIGS. 42a and 42b: A Table Of Scrambling To Fulfill the Game Method of Claim 12. Columns One Through Four Filled. Scrambling Caused by the Creation of the The Scrambling of Custom Gameboard the Plot Clock For Named “Beatty,” Player Black In Shown In FIG. 37. Four Columns List in Ascending List in Ascending Record the Plot Clock “Put” the alternate numeral of Order From First To Order The Plot Numeral Selected by Column 3 “in the position” of Last The Maximum Clock Numerals Player for Round Of the old numeral of Column 2, Possible Number of from 0 to the Column 1, Then List Creating A New Scrambled Rounds That Could Maximum Digit Remaining Unselected Plot Clock Created Solely by Have Been Played 0 Plot Clock Numerals in Player Plots During Course of 1 1 Ascending Order Game 2 2 2 Put 2 in 0 position 3 3 1 Put 1 in 1 position 4 4 7 Put 7 in 2 position 5 5 9 Put 9 in 3 position 6 6 5 Put 5 in 4 position 7 7 0 Put 0 in 5 position 8 8 3 Put 3 in 6 position 9 9 4 Put 4 in 7 position 10 6 Put 6 in 8 position 8 Put 8 in 9 position

After all of the substeps of Step a) are completed, then we move to Step b) “for that player plot clock, replace the position of the old plot clock numeral with the substituted plot clock numeral.” We thus take the substitute numerals of each round, and create a new player plot clock, as shown in FIG. 42 b . The legend titled New Plot Clock, 4208, states “To be used during Piece Movement or during next game of play.” We also establish that this plot clock is for Black, 4209, and surrounds Chaos 4210, then we check to see how the numerals have changed from FIG. 42 a . The Down direction numeral of 0 in the old plot clock, 4204, is now 2 in the new plot clock, 4211. The North direction numeral of 1 in the old plot clock, 4205, remains 1 in the new plot clock, 4212. The Northeast direction numeral of 2 in the old plot clock, 4206, is now 7 in the new plot clock, 4213.

In FIG. 43 we examine the scenario of using the scrambled plot clocks of both Black and White in a new game immediately following the Creation Phase and Conquest Phase of the gameboard Beatty. The All Clocks legend notes that the two plot clocks have been scrambled by the Creation Phase of the Beatty map, 4301. The process of creating the Black plot clock, 4202, has just been revealed in the previous pair of figures. The White plot clock, 4303, just went through a similar process. The Chaos reaction clock, 4304, can be, as in this case, the old Creation plot clock of the winner of the Beatty gameboard (which was White). This of course was the Basic Plot Clock, given to Chaos for this second game of play, even though the two player plot clocks are scrambled.

With the application of claim 12 as a final enhancement to the featured embodiment of the plot clocks during either the end of the Creation Phase, or the end of the Piece Movement Phase, we can again estimate that the number of different gameboards of square tiles created by scrambled plot clocks of two players as approximately 9! (“nine factorial” for permuted plots by Black) multiplied by 9! (“nine factorial” for permuted plots by White) multiplied by 9! (“nine factorial” for permuted reactions by Chaos), equaling 4.77e+16, or more than 47,000,000,000,000,000 (that is 47 quadrillion) different ways to construct a single gameboard. (This estimates that, for any one player, any extra permutations available through sliding, are themselves cut off at other times by lack of sliding vantage to all such additional extended adjacent spaces. The inventor estimates that the extra permutations will about equally compensate for the loss of vantage, leaving on average 9 factorial as the number of options available for each player, and for Chaos.)

Now we finally move away from a time that is after Gameboard Creation, and even after Gameboard Population, to enter Gameboard Piece Movement, also enabled by a plot compass. To start, we move to our second independent claim, claim 13 (claim 1 was the first independent claim of the invention), involves a “game of Gameboard Piece Movement whose plot compass for each piece allows players to make piece landings on a gameboard made from connected, congruent, and contiguous tiles, each a single regular polygon shape.” We note that a valid-seeming gameboard can be provided to players who did not create that gameboard. Many valid-seeming gameboards can be created randomly, without any of the benefits of the previous 10 or 12 claims. On the other hand, any and all gameboards created with help from the very first claim 1 to any consecutive set of claims are always eligible for all of the steps of claim 13.

We follow the already-mentioned preamble of claim 13 with Step a) where the game determines “whether a 4-sided regular polygon, or a 6-sided regular polygon, is used in the gameboard as a representative connective tile.” We notice that the term Tile in the Glossary uses the term “any enclosed space” to define a tile in this phase of the game, because such spaces on printed gameboards, whether displayed as a flat map on a tabletop, or else on a computer screen, can be hard-printed or otherwise displayed as an enclosed space, that for physical or computer-programming reasons cannot be removed by peeling off, or adjusted in position, like a tile or simulated tile can.

We look to FIG. 44 , to find our representative connective tile. As we examine our example Corsicana, from the legend 4401, to dormant Chaos, 4402, we discover that all of the regular polygons for this particular gameboard map are indeed all 4-sided, for example the top-most and left-most tile at grid location B2, 4403. The regular polygon shape of tiles is therefore a square. Thus we satisfy this step a). (We note that a map that is eligible for this claim 13 Step a) need not have every single shape on the map all connected, congruent and contiguous. Simply put, the method of the claim only applies to those polygons that fit the claim description, and therefore other closed or unclosed shapes may fit another shape's description outside the purview of the claim by co-existing on the gameboard display.)

We move to claim 13 Step b) where the game assigns “a unique compass direction to a subset of the set exhausting every side, corner, and extra-dimensional aspect of such a tile, thereby creating a frame compass as a template surrounding that tile.” FIG. 45 a displays such a framing compass, surrounding a generic unmarked tile. The legend declares the illustration to be a Frame Compass, “One subset of a set of all directions adjacent or aspected to a tile, total of ten directions,” 4501. The Frame Compass is named at the bottom, 4502, and the generic tile is identifiable as a square, 4503. N for North is the first compass direction, 4504. NE for Northeast is the second, 4505. E for East is the third, 4506. SE for Southeast is the fourth, 4507. S for South is the fifth, 4508. SW for Southwest is the sixth, 4509. W for West is the seventh, 4510. NW for Northwest is the eighth, 4511. U for Up is the ninth, 4512. D for Down is tenth 4513.

Note that we have gathered a subset of 10 directions out of an exhaustive possible greater number of directions that can be assigned. For example, such exotic directions as “Far East,” or “Middle-tile,” may be additionally specified to make a total of 12 directional assignations. On the other hand, as with claim 1, a subset of fewer than 10, even only 1 direction, may also be so provided. Not every side or corner of a selected square need become an assigned direction to become a valid framing compass.

Repeating our caution in claim 1, with respect to everyday guidance on the word “subset,” Wikipedia at the beginning of its listing of the definition of subset states that “in mathematics, a set A is a subset of set B if A is contained in B . . . [yet] A and B may be equal.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subset)

We have assigned a unique compass direction to every side, corner, and extra-dimensional aspect of the seed tile that we can subjectively imagine as if we were all players of the game in consensual agreement, or accepting the game's determination of such, without any concern as to whether such a set of assigned directions is truly mathematically exhaustive of all possible directions, because we only require a “subset” of that exhaustive set.

In claim 13, the very next Step c) provides “to each piece an individualized version of that template of frame compass, thereby creating apiece plot compass.” In FIG. 45 b , the legend is 4513, stating that the Piece Plot Compass is Wa controlled by White/Before Conquest Round 1.” The resident terra is represented by 4514, and the player piece is represented by the illustration of 4514, with the name Wa, starting with a W, conveying that White controls this piece, 4516. Of course, the names of the players may be of any nomenclature, as may the names of the pieces.

A more constrained subset for the framing compass, and thus the inheriting piece plot compass is shown in FIG. 46 . The legend shows a Piece Plot Compass that is an “Alternative Wa controlled by White Before Conquest Round 1,” 4601. We note the name of this piece is also Wa, 4602. The resident terra square is shown 4603. The white torso of the White player piece is also shown 4604, with permanent pegs protruding. The E for East compass direction exists, 4605, along with North, South, Southwest, and Northwest. But other potential subset directions, such as NE for Northeast is missing, 4606. Other potential but missing directions from our larger subset are, clockwise from the top, SE for Southeast, W for West, and U for Up, and the possible plot directions mentioned but not shown in the previous Figure, and untold numbers of those in the fullest set (a relative superset) of all potential directions.

Going back to the first set of ten directions on the first Piece Plot Compass of FIG. 45 , we now move to FIG. 47 , and to the next claim 13 Step d) in the game, which allows “each player, during each round of simultaneous gameboard piece movement, to select one direction from each piece's plot compass, and specify the number of spaces to be traversed, so to move that piece from its resident tile to a targeted tile, thereby creating an ordered movement sequence.” In FIG. 47 , the legend for the Piece Plot Compass is shown, “Wa controlled by White \ during Piece Movement Round 1,” 4701, with the name of the player piece, Wa, 4702, the player's piece occupying a square resident tile, 4703, with the body of Wa the White mobile piece shown within the compass, 4704. The direction selected is East, 4705, circled to show direction selection.

FIG. 48 a shows an Order Log diagram that reveals the plotted movement of the player piece Wa from a resident tile to a targeted tile. First we see the legend of the illustration of the Order Log, 4801, where the setting of “Conquest Round of Corsicana/White's Wa plotted landing,” is shown 4801. Then we see the title of the Order Log itself, saying “Corsicana, Conquest Round 1,” 4802. Next we see the display of the white player piece named Wa, with all nine of its directional pegs showing, 4803. (The tenth peg, for Down, is below the piece, and thus cannot be seen from this top-down perspective.) Moving to the right we see the leftmost tile listed with its locational grid number, which is B2, 4804, the tile displaying the white player piece Wa residing within next to a white house, 4804, with the phrase “Resident Tile” below it. Between the two tiles displayed we see the plotting arrow with the phrase “Plot a landing” above it, and “One Space East” below it, which means that the plot compass is being used to direct the player piece exactly to its targeted tile, 4805. The targeted tile, a black house, has a grid letter and number, which is B3, 4806, and we note that this tile is already filled with a player piece Ba, residing within a black house. (Although we have not seen the Order Log for Ba, Ba is also to make a plotted landing to target some tile on the island as well, via a side or corner direction—or by pulling its central peg Up to defend its resident tile B3 itself) Below this chain of tiles we see the order log for Wa itself, which reads, 4807, “White Wa: From resident tile at B2/plot a landing East one space/onto the targeted tile at B3.” All of this phrasing can be found in a player's notepad, when playing the tabletop version of the game with hard tiles; or else is automatically generated on a computer panel display, when playing the computer version of the game.

And in fulfillment of the logged sequence of moves, we find FIG. 48 b showing the legend of “Corsicana” and the setting: “Round 1 of Piece Movement/Wa plots a landing East,” 4808. To the left we see the movement of the player piece Wa on the gameboard moving East, 4809, from its resident tile to a targeted tile, according to the Order Log of FIG. 48 a . And that Order Log is completely informed by the plot compass selection that is made in the last FIG. 47 .

We see that FIGS. 48 a and 48 b fulfill to the final claim 13 Step e) which moves “that player's piece from its resident tile to its targeted tile, according to its ordered movement sequence, thereby creating a plotted landing of that player's piece,” followed by some useful terms going forward that help in understanding the metaphors of the game, that in no way limit the expansive scope of the claim.

Claim 13 Step e) Substep i. provides that “any player's piece can be arbitrarily called a starbug.” Substep ii. provides that “any starbug controlled by a given player can be arbitrarily called an allied starbug to that player.” Substep iii. provides that “any starbug not controlled by a given player can be arbitrarily called an enemy starbug to that player.” Substep iv. provides that “any possible landing tile for any starbug can be arbitrarily called a terra of land.” Finally, Substep v. provides that “any terra created by a given player and displaying that player's mark can be arbitrarily called an allied house to that player.”

Such arbitrarily named conventions for various player pieces and landing places are important insofar as they provide clarity to those well-versed in game design or game playability, where more generic terms such as “player's piece,” or “resident tile,” as found in the independent claim 13, can seem flavorless in repetition. Thus “starbug” richly describes just one arbitrary description of a player piece, but any other name for any piece exhibiting the behaviors of the claim, even if called silly names like “Spiky Virus,” or “Sea Urchin,” would still be covered under this claim 13, and thus covered under any and all subsequent dependent claims. This ends discussion of independent claim 13.

We now move to the dependent claims 14 and 15, which both depend on claim 13, but takes some steps further. (Some illustrations will wait until we are finished citing both claims in their entirety.) We start with claim 14 Step a) where the game eliminates “any one or more compass directions from a starbug plot compass whose sequence of one or more plots land a starbug onto a targeted terra.” In claim 14 Step b) the game prevents “any starbug from plotting any action in any specific compass direction that was eliminated from its plot compass.” FIG. 49 a shows such a selection, and elimination, and the consequence. The Starbug Plot Compass is indicated in the legend 4901, for Wa, 4902. That legend specifies that we are in the middle of Round 1 of Conquest, after the direction selection and elimination for Wa is indicated by the circle and diagonal slash, 4903. In FIG. 49 b we see the result of this elimination, just before Conquest Round 2, as indicated in the legend, 4904. The Wa starbug is intact, 4905, but the East direction is completely missing, 4906. Wa cannot plot in the East direction during the remaining rounds of Piece Movement. Since we do not as yet have a provision that allows the removal of pegs from the body of the physical starbug, we note that the East peg is still intact on the body of Wa. Before we move to any new illustrations, however, we will get to that provision in claim 15.

But for now we move to the next claim 14 Step c) which allows “any one direction of an extra-dimensional aspect of a piece plot compass to be a selectable instruction to terminate that device.” This termination can take place on a pre-mature basis, that is, in an early round, when there still are viable directions for plotting new landings on new targeted terras. Or the termination can take place on a maturing basis, that is, in a later or the last possible round, when there are fewer or zero viable directions so available.

Finally we move to claim 14 Step d) which states that the game “prevents any starbug from plotting any action at all when every viable compass direction has been eliminated from its plot compass, thereby requiring starbug removal from the gameboard.” We will soon see an illustration providing for this part of the claim, but we need to recite all of claim 15 before doing so.

In claim 15 the physical structure of the starbug is described in detail to aid those players who use tangible game equipment, such as physical tiles and pieces made from a hard substance, like wood, metal, ceramic, or plastic, placed on a tabletop or on the floor, with the pieces placed on top of the tiles, or wish to see a virtual starbug with pegs on a computer image of the gameboard. Such physical detail can be enlisted to aid the virtual display of such a starbug on a computer screen.

In claim 15 Step a) the detailing of the game begins by “constructing each starbug with detachable body parts matching, on a one-to-one basis, all of the original selectable directions of its plot compass.” In claim 15 Step b) the detailing goes further, by “pulling off a detachable body part from a starbug for each plot compass selection that results in a starbug's plotted action.”

Recall that the framing compass of the Piece Movement Phase was first established from claim 13, step b), with ten original directions put into place. In the earlier claims for the game regarding plotting terras from a seed tile, the direction Down was selectable as a direction for termination due to player agreement at the beginning of the game. If we copy this approach, we can see the initial effect of this claim step on the Down selection from the plot compass of Wa in FIGS. 50 a and 50 b . In FIG. 50 a , the Starbug Plot Compass for Wa is indicated by the legend, 5001, during Round 10. Wa is named for the starbug in the plot compass shown, 5002, and the naked torso of the starbug body is shown, 5003. This is due to claim 15 Step a) and Step b) where the detachable body parts have all been pulled off due to earlier plots. Now in Round 10 of Piece Movement, the direction of Down is circled, as being indicated for selection, 5004.

In FIG. 50 b , the legend again indicates the setting of the gameboard map, taking place during Round 10, 5005. Wa is indicated, 5006, as the starbug that is terminating, whose naked torso can be seen 5007, in the middle of a dramatic explosion 5008. (Dramatic explosions can be part of the rules of some embodiments, for example destroying all enemy starbugs either inside the terra, inside the territory, or adjacent to the territory of the exploding starbug.) The location of the resident terra is again a cross between the row of letter C, 5009, and the column of the number 8, 5010. The nearby terras are three generic terras, 5011, 5012, and 5013.

In this illustration the explosion is contained within the generic terra C8 of the residing starbug Wa. Again, the explosion destruction can be more widespread (if spreadable only to adjacent terras, or spreadable to connected allied houses within the same territory), as may become enabled from later rules.

We now move to illustrate claim 14 Step d) which prevents “any starbug from plotting any action at all when every viable compass direction has been eliminated from its plot compass, thereby requiring starbug removal from the gameboard.” This situation would arise if players decide on a variant of the game not to select a particular direction as a termination selection of their starbug plot compasses. After all, claim 14 Step c) only “allows” players to make a termination selection, and does not require it.

In FIG. 51 a we find a starbug plot compass, as the legend shows, 5101, for White Starbug Wa on a generic gameboard/Before Piece Movement Round 11. Since there are only 10 directions available on this plot compass, we know that all directions may have been exhausted at this time. And we look at the plot compass to discover this is true. This starbug Wa, 5102, only has a torso, 5103, with no peg protruding in any discernable direction in our line-of-sight perspective, looking down from hovering directly over the piece, or beneath it, for the indication of the Down direction. Indeed every side-wise or corner-wise conventional directions, such as for North, 5104, or for the extra-dimensional direction Up, 5105, are all unavailable on this plot compass. Even the extra-dimensional direction Down is not available, which, like a stool leg, normally lies beneath the starbug, 5106, which if selected under different rules would terminate the starbug—and thereby terminate the starbug plot compass before removal.

In FIG. 51 b we see the plight of Wa's position on its resident terra, as expressed in the Generic Gameboard legend, 5107. Wa, 5108, sits with no pegs, 5109, inside a generic gameboard terra, 5110, whose grid location of C8 can be specified by crossing the row of the letter C, 5111, and the column of the number 8, 5112. To the east and to the west of the resident terra C8, adjacent generic terras can be found, 5113 and 5114. To the southwest of the resident terra another generic adjacent terra can be found, 5115. But Wa has no accessible terra that can be targeted for occupation with the limitations on its plot compass in FIG. 51 a , and so White can only remove Wa from the gameboard.

We assume, however, that by player agreement in the featured embodiment, every round of Piece Movement requires at least one plot direction to be selected and eliminated from the plot compass, and so Down must be selected if no other directions are available. Thus, after the selection of Down, or under circumstances covered in the claims, the starbug is to be removed from the gameboard.

In FIG. 52 a we see the plot compass diagram where a detachable body part, here arbitrarily resembling a peg, is pulled out from a starbug in the direction where a plotted landing is to take place, in our example embodiment of the full claim language of claim 15. In the legend for the Starbug Plot Compass we see that starbug Wa is controlled by White, and we are in Piece Movement Round 1, 5201. At right we see bottom-up the starbug plot compass of Wa, 5202, and the depiction of the starbug Wa, 5203, inside its resident terra, 5204, and East circled because it was selected as the plotted landing for Wa during the first round, and slashed diagonally because it is set for elimination, 5205.

In FIG. 52 b we see the starbug on a generic gameboard, 5206, as it states in the map legend, “Position of Starbug Wa During Piece Movement Round 1.” Starbug Wa is shown in position from the name, 5207, to the starbug body itself, 5208, on its resident terra, 5209, locatable via the grid row of letter C, 5210, and the grid column of the number 8, 5211, therefore the resident terra is located as C8. Adjacent terras are to the left, or west of the resident terra, 5212, then to the right, or east of that terra, 5213, and to the southwest of that terra, 5214. A plotting of a landing arrow juts forth from the body of the starbug, pointing East, 5215.

We now move to FIGS. 53 a and 53 b , where the Starbug Plot Compass and the Generic Gameboard of the previous set of figures adjusts to the changes in starbug state and gameboard state as the Conquest Round 1 is completed. In FIG. 53 a , we find the legend for Starbug Plot Compass, 5301, in a setting where “Wa controlled by White/After Conquest Round 1.” At right of the legend, we find the actual plot compass, where Wa is named, 5302, the resident terra for Wa on the plot compass, 5303, containing the body of Wa, 5304, but without the East peg, and without the East direction remaining as a selection on the plot compass, 5305. East has been eliminated as a plot direction, as per claim 15.

In FIG. 53 b , the “Position of Starbug Wa/After Conquest Round 1,” is shown 5306, in the legend for the Generic Gameboard. We see the new position of Wa, 5307, with the body of Wa, 5308, now inside the targeted terra, 5309, where that terra will serve as the new resident terra for the beginning of Conquest Round 2. The new resident terra has a grid location that can be found by crossing the grid letter C, 5310, with the column number 9, 5311, for a grid location of C9.

We now move to claim 16, where slides are introduced to rounds of piece movement. First is claim 16 Step a) where the game allows “each starbug in each round the repeatable option to engage in a series of one or more slides by selecting any original direction from the player's plot compass, whether that direction has been eliminated by a previous plot or not, to shift the player's plot compass away from its resident terra to frame anew either an allied house or Chaos, as eligible terras adjacent to that resident terra, and from there, if desired, to frame anew another such eligible terra that is so adjacent to that of the previous one, and so on, until that starbug, after all such slides are completed, plots a landing from that vantage upon a targeted terra.” Claim 16 Step b) states that the game will exempt “any original direction from the plot compass from elimination, or from being affected by any previous elimination, for any sliding purpose.”

It is clear from the claim language that a slide can be selected by a player to move a starbug from a resident terra thru any number of connected slide-eligible terras, namely Chaos or any allied house, before moving to that starbug's plotted landing. It is also clear that a plotted direction, once committed, does not eliminate any original direction for sliding, but only for plotting. Thus that already-plotted direction can still be displayed, albeit in altered form, to aid players wishing to slide in that direction. We provide that altered form by means of hollowed out lettering of the original directions.

FIG. 54 a is a plot compass for a Black starbug named Bi. We see by the legend, 5401, that we are showing the “Starbug Plot Compass” of “Bi of Player Black/during Piece Movement Round 5” of a yet-to-be named gameboard. Thus during the previous 4 rounds, the directions used in previous plots have been eliminated. But the original directions inherited from the frame compass of claim 13 Step b) remain in display, albeit in hollow letters, such as a hollow N for North, a hollow NE for Northeast, a hollow E for East, and a hollow SW for Southwest. These hollow letters on a starbug plot compass indicate that these directions, while not available for plotting, are available for slides, as per the full language of claim 16, as we shall see.

After we identify an underline beneath a black-lettered SE 5403, we also notice an underline beneath a hollow-lettered E, 5404, and, finally, a circle and diagonal slash for the direction SE, 5405. But in order to tell us which underline of which slide came first, the Southeast or the East, we require an Order Log, which is what the player creates as the ordered movement sequence requirement of claim 13 Step d). The plot compass of course informs this ordered movement sequence.

FIG. 54 b is the legend of the Order Log showing the “Conquest Round 5 of Corsicana/Black's Bi's slides and plotted landing,” 5406. We see the order log itself displaying much the same information, “Corsicana/Conquest Round 5,” 5407. We see the Black starbug Bi, 5408, with missing pegs from eliminated plotted landings of past rounds. We then see the grid location G6 of the Resident Tile, showing Bi inside its black house, 5409. Next we see the word Slide, with a slippery arrow above two directions, Southeast, listed first, and East, listed second, 5410. (This tells us the order of the slides, first Southeast, then East.) The two terras, both black houses, at H7 and H8 are indicated as the destinations of the two slides, 5411. Then the phrase, Plot a Landing One Space Southeast, mixed with a plot arrow, 5412, follows, before the arrow arrives at I9 where there is a white house serving as the targeted tile, 5413. Thus the order log below reads as follows, 5414: “Black Bi: From resident terra at G6, slide Southeast one space to H7, slide East to H8, then plot a landing Southeast one space onto the targeted terra at I9.”

The order log, generated by players making indications on the plot compass, is a reliable playbook, generated by the plot compass, and followed by players to move their pieces simultaneously during rounds of Piece Movement. (Note that the word “tile” has been altered to “terra” when indicating a tile of a landing space, as per claim 13 Step e).

Finally, we move to the gameboard of Corsicana itself, in FIG. 54 c.

The legend of the map, 5415, states that we are looking at Corsicana, during “Conquest Round 5/Bi slides and plots landing/onto targeted terra.” Bi starts on the residential terra of G6, 5416, and slides Southeast and then East thru two black houses until plotting a landing Southeast on the white house on I9, 5417. If the plotted landing is successful, the white house will be converted by repainting into a black house, and a total of four black houses, at G6, H7, H8, and I9 will be connected together for the first time as allied black territory.

We now move to claim 17, where the game starts with Step a) to define “a landstrand on the gameboard map as the maximum extension of a continuous chain of connected terras, along any side-to-side, or corner-to-corner, single axis of direction.” Claim 17 Step b) shows the significance of landstrands to the player using a plot compass, because it allows “any player to move an allied starbug to plot a landing, or alternatively, to slide, from a terra at one extreme end of a landstrand to the terra that lies at the opposite extreme end of that same landstrand, as if the two extreme end-terras were directly adjacent to each other, either on a direct side-to-side connected basis, or direct corner-to-corner, connected basis.”

We find that, indeed, every terra made of squares is in fact always part of four landstrands: two axes from corner-to-corner: 1) diogonal, (from lower left to upper right), and 2) diagonal, (from upper left to lower right). And two axes from side-to-side: 3) horizontal, and 4) vertical.

In FIG. 55 a , we find the legend for gameboard Chapela, 5501, which tells “The resident terra of Wa is part of 4 landstrands, here each bracketed on both sides by arrows. Chapela is normally shown as surrounded on all sides by aqua tiles of salty sea.” We find Wa to be within the white tower located by 5502. Our illustration citation of part 5502 is placed in a white box, to mark it specially among all the other part citations in this FIG. 55 a-e page. When we encounter the same terra 5502 in other figures on this page, the part number will also be boxed, to emphasize that we are looking at the very same terra, but within a very different landstrand.

Starting from the “diagonal” where the hole at arrow 5503 begins and where the arrow 5504 ends, there is one landstrand, which is also isolated by FIG. 55 b , which shows the same white tower 5502 with Wa inside, boxed as 5516. This landstrand stretches from Northwest to Southeast, and is indeed “diagonal.”

In FIG. 55 a , we also find Wa of terra 5502, to be part of the “diogonal” landstrand (spelling of diogonal is correct) starting at arrow 5505, at the lower left, where starbug Wo in the plain begins, and moving to the upper right, to the arrow at 5506, where an empty white house ends the landstrand. This landstrand is also replicated in FIG. 55 c , which again shows Wa boxed inside the white tower, 5517. This landstrand, stretching from Southwest to Northeast, is indeed “diogonal.”

Back to FIG. 55 a , the long horizontal landstrand that Wa in the white tower is part of, 5502, begins with the westernmost terra—a black house—where the arrow 5507 starts, and ends at arrow 5508 where a black house occupied by the starbug Bi resides. This horizontal landstrand is also replicated in FIG. 55 d , which also shows Wa in the white tower, 5518. This landstrand, stretching from West to East, is indeed “horizontal.”

Finally, the vertical landstrand containing Wa in the white tower, 5502, begins at the arrow of 5509, at bottom where an empty black house is located, and ends at the top at 5510, where the occupied black house holding Ba resides. This landstrand is also replicated in FIG. 55 e , with Wa again in the white tower, 5519. This landstrand, stretching from North to South, is indeed “vertical.”

Besides the starbug Wa, 5502, there are three other starbugs that are shown to reside within one of the four landstrands occupied by Wa. For Black, there are two other starbugs: Ba at 5511, and Bi at 5512. Both starbugs reside in Black houses. White has one other starbug, in the plain at 5513.

Terras that are part of Chapela, but not part of one of the four landstrands of starbug Wa, are shown in light grey, as in the far northeastern cape example of 5514, or the far southwestern cape example of 5515.

The significance of landstrands is obvious once we repeat the second Step b) of claim 17, which allows “any player to move an allied starbug to plot a landing, or alternatively, to slide, from a terra at one extreme end of a landstrand to the terra that lies at the opposite extreme end of that same landstrand, as if the two extreme end-terras were directly adjacent to each other, either on a direct side-to-side connected basis, or direct corner-to-corner, connected basis.”

One can envision that these portals, like wormholes, exist at the opposite ends of these landstrands, so that when a starbug moves beyond the end-side or end-corner of one extreme end of such a landstrand, it instantly arrives, as if by gateway, at the opposite end of that landstrand.

For example, we turn to FIG. 56 a , where the legend describes a Starbug Plot Compass, where “Wa is controlled by White [during] Piece Movement Round 4, 5601. Wa is 5602, and the resident terra of Wa is represented by the square at 5603, the starbug body of Wa, 5604, showing some pegs missing, and other pegs available, for pulling off to plot a landing in a particular direction. For example, the directions for East, Southwest, and Northwest are missing, but pegs are available for all of the remaining directions. Finally, we see the direction that White has selected for Wa during this round of movement, namely plotting a landing Southeast, 5605, which is circled and slashed, ready for elimination.

In FIG. 56 b , we see that the legend for the landstrand shown lists Chapela as the name of the gameboard, 5606, explaining that “The resident terra of Wa is part of a ‘diagonal’ NW-SE landstrand.” The cratered hole is shown at the Northwest corner of the landstrand, 5607, and the white tower that is occupied by Wa is shown at the Southeast corner of the landstrand, 5608. We see that Wa “departs via landstrand portal,” 5609 at the white arrow of movement, akin to the computer display for a starbug leaving such a landstrand.

In FIG. 56 c , we see that the legend for Chapela has changed, 5610, to comment that “The targeted terra of Wa is/the hole at the other end/of this landstrand.” The white arrow that was departing at the Southeast corner of the previous FIG. 56 b , is now arriving with FIG. 56 c at the Northwest corner, “Wa arrives via landstrand portal,” 5611. The starbug Wa is now within the cratered hole, 5612, because Wa has pulled off the Southeast peg from its body in concert with the plot compass selection of Southeast during this last Round 4 of Conquest. The white tower of 5613 is now vacant of any occupying starbug. From this claim 17 onward, being adjacent (in the context of starbug movement) means not only “connected at any common side or corner,” but also “connected at any portal at the extreme end of a landstrand.”

We now move into claim 18, where we inherit the game of claim 17, but shifting in a different direction, directly from movement mechanics to conquest of individual terras. The featured embodiment of the game adheres to the motto of “only one starbug occupies any terra at the end of any round,” even though this principle is not embodied in any claim. (This is due to an emphasis on the plot compass as the innovative device of the game.) And yet: players may wish to add more than one starbug to any invasion of a terra to add strength in numbers to the conquest of such a terra. To reconcile those two seemingly contradictory impulses, claim 18 ensures that any two or more starbugs allied with the same player targeting and successfully occupying a single terra will “merge,” into a single starbug, at the end of that round.

Thus the preface language of the claim 18 begins: “if one or more starbugs, all from only a single player, plot landings onto an uncontested terra during the same round of play, then: with two steps following. Looking at the Glossary for the language in the claims, the listing for “Uncontested Terra” is defined as “a terra that is the site of only one player plotting one or more landings during a round of Gameboard Piece Movement, resulting in no conflict there that needs to be resolved.” Claim 18 Step a) merges “any plurality of those landing starbugs into a single starbug whose merged plot compass inherits each uneliminated plot direction only once from the collective set of plot compasses drawn from those landing starbugs,” followed by claim 18 Step b): occupation of “that uncontested terra with the resulting single starbug.”

In FIGS. 57 a-d we see the results of this claim, by examining the plot compasses of We and Wi in FIG. 57 a , before such a merger, while in FIG. 57 b we witness the Corsicana gameboard before the merger of these two allied starbugs. Then, in FIG. 57 c , after the merger, we see the plot compass of the new merged starbug, WeWi, and in FIG. 57 d , the Corsicana gameboard after the merger.

Let us begin. In FIG. 57 a , we see the legend of Two Starbug Plot Compasses, 5701, specifically “We and Wi by Player White during Round 5 of Piece Movement.” We is alphabetically the first plot compass shown, 5702, where we note that direction West has been selected and thus eliminated by a slash marking on the plot compass, 5703. We note also that We has a missing Up direction, as shown by the missing peg at the center of the We starbug body, representing the Up peg, 5704, with a corresponding hollow U in the upper holding bin where that initial would normally be fully solid in letterform. On starbug Wi, 5705, the direction North has been selected and eliminated by a cross-out marking, 5706. We also note that Wi also has a missing Up direction, as shown by the missing peg at the center of the Wi starbug body, 5707, as well as the missing U in the upper holding bin where that initial fully solid in letterform is usually found. This is significant because it means that the merged starbug will not have an Up direction available to survive the merger.

In FIG. 57 b , we see the legend of the map for Corsicana, “during Round 5 Piece Movement,” 5708. In this figure, we find starbug We, located on the terra E5, 5709, which is a white tower of two stories, which is jumping West the distance of two spaces (because, outside the purview of the claims of the invention, the two stories in the tower as a terrain property allows We to jump either one or two spaces in any landed direction onto a terra), to the black hut on E3, 5711. The starbug Wi is located on the terra F3, and is moving one space North from the white hut of one story, 5710, with a landing also onto the same black hut at E3 as We, 5711.

In FIG. 57 c , we find “One Starbug Plot Compass,” which is “Merged out of We and Wi by Player White/into WeWi during Piece Movement Round 5,” 5712. We note the plot compass of WeWi 5713. Which plot directions from the two donor starbugs show up as the merged starbug plot directions?

In the new plot compass, we show the body of the starbug WeWi still with the missing Up peg in the middle of the body, 5714, consistent with the still-hollow U in the holding bin usually holding the Up direction, 5715. Indeed the only other missing plot direction on WeWi is W for West, 5716, because West became missing on We with the latest plot landing on E3, and West was already missing on Wi from a previous round. Thus the two missing pegs on WeWi are for West and for Up.

In FIG. 57 d , we find the Corsicana map, its legend for “after Round 5 Piece Movement,” 5717, with WeWi inside of a white hut at E3, uncontested by any enemy starbug, and thus solely occupied by this new merged black starbug, satisfying the claim, 5718. Each surviving plot direction has been inherited once and only once from each donor starbug.

We note that the new merged starbug WeWi is only missing two plot directions, West and Up, whereas the unmerged starbugs would be missing a total of eight plot directions among them. On the other hand, an N for North and also a SW for Southwest are two pegged plot directions from the set of the two unmerged starbugs that are extra pegs forever lost. Was the strategic move to merge We and Wi into a single starbug a smart or not-so-smart move? Depends upon strategy!

We now move to claim 19, which deals with resolving contested targeted terras between opposing starbugs landing inside.

Claim 19 starts with the situational condition that “if at least one starbug from each of two or more players plot landings onto the same targeted terra during the same round of play, thereby creating a contested terra, then” followed by two possible outcomes for two different groups of players. Claim 19 Step a) states on a straightforward basis how the game resolves such conflict: first, “for each individual player, adding together the number of such allied plotted landings, thereby creating individual player sums.” Claim 19 Step b) then has the game “ranking such individual player sums from highest to lowest as a basis of resolving that contested terra,” followed by “whereby,” and two contingent outcomes.

The two contingent outcomes are, first, in claim 19 Step b) Substep i. for “the player with sole standing as having uniquely the highest sum from counting such allied starbug landings then wins the terra and merges all such allied starbugs within that contested terra into a single starbug that successfully occupies that terra as if it were uncontested.” Thus the resolution for the unique winner with the highest number of landings within a contested terra is simply the merger and occupation of allied starbugs within that terra.

What of the players who have tied sums (with more than one player having a winning sum), or lower sums of such counted landings in the contested terra? Both kinds of outcomes are considered “a losing sum” as defined in claim 19 Step b) Substep ii.: “any player having either a tied or lower sum from counting such allied starbug landings then loses the terra and plots a retreat for each such landing starbug into any empty allied house that is adjacent to that contested terra, but, if such retreat is not possible for any such starbug, the player removes that starbug from the board of play.” The Glossary defines “Viable” during Gameboard Piece Movement as “a piece plot compass direction that is both available on the plot compass and also available on the gameboard map as an eligible space for plotting an action that targets that space . . . ”

Thus any non-unique winners who are tied with each other as having the greatest number of starbug landings into a contested terra must retreat, from that contested terra as if they had all lost. And this simultaneous retreat takes place alongside any players who are not landing the greatest number, those of lesser sums as well must retreat.

In substep i., the “sole standing” phrasing that decides the outcome requires either only one winner of a contested terra, or no winners at all.

Finally, the game in claim 19 Step c) disallows “any slides or voluntary termination for any starbug required to undertake a plotted retreat or to undertake removal from the board of play due to the impossibility of such retreat.” The terras that are aimed for in any plotted retreats must be directly adjacent as neighboring terras to the contested terra, or at the opposite end of the landstrand from that contested terra.

To illustrate the two different contingent outcomes of claim 19, for one unique winner and one unique loser of a contested terra, we will be switching back and forth between FIG. 58 a where the plot compasses for each of four starbugs are shown, and FIG. 58 b , where each starbug on the gameboard is shown moving from resident terra to targeted terra.

In FIG. 58 a , we find four plot compasses, two from player Black, and two from player White. The legend for Starbug Plot Compasses shows that the diagram is for “Round 4 of Piece Movement Phase/Before Conflict Resolution: /Plotted Landings on Targeted Terras,” 5801.

The first plot compass shown is for starbug Bi, 5802, which shows only the North, Northeast, and Northwest directions available for constructive plotting. (Down is available but destructive.) The remaining original constructive directions, like West or East, are available only for sliding. The Northeast direction is selected for a plotted landing, and will be eliminated, 5803. To track Bi, we switch to FIG. 58 b , where the legend says the gameboard is named “Crivitz,” for “Round 4 Plots Into Targeted Terras” is shown, 5810, we see starbug Bi residing in the black house G6, 5811, and on the Northeast corner a white arrow points from Bi at G6 to F7, in the direction of the Northeast plotted landing, and to the site of what we will soon detect as a contested terra between two players, 5815.

The second starbug in FIG. 58 a is the Black starbug Bo, 5804, which has selected the direction North for elimination, 5805, with the other directions East, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest available for plotting, and the remaining original directions only available for sliding. Looking down to FIG. 58 b again, we find the black starbug Bo residing in the black house in G7, and from it the Northerly direction of the white arrow, into the plain at F7, 5815, again.

Going back up to FIG. 58 a , where the plot compass for the first starbug of player White is shown, Wa, 5806, with the North, Southeast, South, Southwest, and West directions all available for plotting, and the remaining hollow letter directions only available for sliding. For Wa, the West direction has been selected and eliminated for plotting a landing during this round, 5807. On the Crivitz gameboard shown in FIG. 58 b , Wa is shown to reside in the white house F8, 5813. The white arrow emanating from the terra is indeed pointing West, to, again, the contested terra, on F7, 5815.

We now move to the fourth and final starbug with a plot compass in FIG. 58 a , the second starbug of the White player, called Wy, 5808. There are three directions available for Wy's plotted landing, namely Northeast, South, and Northwest, and South is selected for elimination, 5809. Going to FIG. 58 b to the Crivitz gameboard, we find Wy located in the white tower at E7, 5814, with the white arrow indeed pointing south, to the plain in F7, again 5815.

Thus there are two Black starbugs, Bi and Bo, entering F7, 5815 in the same round as the two White starbugs entering F7, Wa and Wy. We recall the preamble of claim 19, where the rest of the claim was to be applied “if at least one starbug from each of two or more players plot landings onto the same targeted terra during the same round of play, thereby creating a contested terra.” That scenario clearly applies. Two Black starbugs are plotting into the same terra on F7, 5815, during Round 4, as are two White starbugs. Since the opposing sides are equal in numbers of starbugs plotting landings into the contested terra, the two sides are deemed equal in plot compass strength, and both sides, as per substep ii., having tied numbers of plotted landings there, must retreat all of their starbugs, if possible. We are again reminded of the language at the beginning of substep ii.: “any player having either a tied or lower sum,” which governs our next illustrated actions.

We look at the attempted retreat of all four starbugs, where two starbugs are successful, and two are unsuccessful. For the unsuccessful, the two starbugs unable to retreat are removed from the gameboard. All of this is illustrated in FIGS. 59 a and 59 b . Notice that we must also pay heed to claim 19 Step c) where the game disallows “any slides or voluntary termination for any starbug required to undertake a plotted retreat or to undertake removal from the board of play due to the impossibility of such retreat.”

In FIG. 59 a , we see the legend of Starbug Plot Compasses, “Round 4 of Piece Movement/After Conflict Resolution: /After Plotted Retreats and Removals,” 5901. These are the same four starbugs whose plot compasses are now shown after the plotted landings into the same targeted terra, before any plotted retreats and, as required when all else fails, before the removals of certain starbugs from the gameboard due to failed retreats.

The first plot compass shown in FIG. 59 a is for the Black starbug Bi, 5902, which shows the North and Northwest directions available for any plotted retreat. However, if we look briefly at FIG. 59 b , after examining the legend stating “Crivitz” as the gameboard, and “Round 4 After All/Retreats and Removals” 5908, and then peek at the contested terra F7, 5909, we see that there is no unoccupied black house as a safe haven for Bi's retreat either North or Northwest. North of F7 is the white tower E7, and Northwest of F7 is the aqua at E6. We recall, of course, that F7 is at one end of a landstrand going “diagonally” from the NW to SE direction, so if we pass a starbug past the portal there at the NW corner of F7 (between the grid lines of E and F, and between the grid lines of 6 and 7), we find ourselves at the plain of G8, which unfortunately is not an empty black house that can serve as a safe haven for Bi's retreat. This means that Bi must be removed from the board, as shown by the “Remove” notation on the Crivitz map at 5912, and by the single diagonal slash on the Bi name just below the Bi starbug graphic there, 5913. Indeed looking back up at FIG. 59 a , we see that the name of Bi slashed out diagonally showing that it is to be removed from the gameboard, 5902.

The second plot compass of FIG. 59 a is Bo, 5903, which is a starbug more fortunate. The plot directions North, East, Southwest, and Northwest, and Up are all available for retreating from the plain at F7. If we look at the cross-section of Crivitz in FIG. 59 b , legend 5908, and find the plain as the contested terra at F7, we see two empty black houses serving as safe havens of retreat: at G6, and at G7, respectively, or at the Southwest and South directions from that same F7. Only the Southwest direction is available as a viable safe haven on the Bo plot compass, FIG. 59 a , 5904, where there is indeed a double-cross slash-and-circle as the sign of retreat plotting selection and elimination.

We see the starbug Bo in FIG. 59 b , 5910, inside the black house at G6, with the Southwest peg removed, due to it being pulled off with the successful retreat, with the black retreat arrow from F7 pointing in that direction.

In FIG. 59 a we will now look at the two White starbugs, Wa and Wy. Starbug Wa, 5905, has four directions available for plotting, North, Southeast, South, and West. If we look for empty white houses adjacent to the plain on F7, we find one directly North, at E7, 5911. Thus Wa is able to retreat by plotting North, thereby eliminating the North direction from the Wa plot compass, 5906. (A double-cross slash-and-circle marks the selection and elimination of the North retreat direction.) (If both Wa and Wy had North available as a possible plotted retreat, White could choose which starbug could retreat in that direction, and choose according to player advantage. But alas, Wy does not have the North direction available on its plot compass.) We now examine that same starbug Wy, and note that only two directions remain for plotting a retreat, which is Northeast and Northwest. There is no white house in either of those two directions from the plain on F7, and so the starbug Wy is eliminated from the gameboard. In FIG. 59 a the Wy name is eliminated, 5907, and in FIG. 59 b the Wy starbug is removed from the Crivitz gameboard, above the “Remove” notation, 5914, and above the slashed name 5915.

Plotting a landing is the first type of plotting available to a starbug. Plotting a retreat is the second type of plotting available to a starbug. But a retreat only takes place after a player loses its place within its current terra. Even then, a retreat is possible iff (if and only if) an available plot direction leads the starbug to an empty allied house sharing a side or corner with the contested terra. Portals at the end of landstrands may alternatively be crossed over exactly once during retreats.

A plotted retreat cannot possibly result in another contested terra among two or more players, because allied starbugs can only retreat into their very own allied empty houses. Thus no second conflict is possible after any retreat.

Finally, we may note our distinctive notation for a plotted retreat on a plot compass is a circle for selection, and a simple double-cross within that circle, one in the diogonal direction (from lower left to upper right) and one in the diagonal direction (from upper left to lower right), creating a balanced X, as shown in FIG. 59 a , 5904, and 5906. This contrasts with the notation for a plotted landing, which is the same circle surrounding a selected direction, but with only a single slash moving from upper left to lower right, that is, a “diagonal” slash.

After understanding this claim, we find that the process of retreat is costly, because it means that at least two plotted directions must be eliminated in the same round when a starbug lands on a contested terra, but loses the contest to win on a standalone basis to occupy the terra. But a starbug retreat is almost always preferable to the alternative, which is the starbug's permanent removal from the board of play.

We now move to claim 20, which introduces the invention of “plotted support” via the manipulation of a plot compass. This plotting of a support is the third type of plotting available to a starbug, after the plotting of a landing, and plotting of a retreat.

Claim 20 Step a) allows “any player to select an available plot direction from the plot compass of a starbug to plot support of at least one other allied starbug plotting its own landing onto a targeted terra, if such a targeted terra is positioned adjacently to the current terra of such a supportive starbug,” followed by a “but” as a conditional outcome showing up in the second step of claim 20 Step b).

The conditional outcome of claim 20 Step b) establishes that “if an enemy starbug plots a landing onto the current terra of such a supportive starbug, then all support of that allied starbug is broken and thereby nullified,” followed by an “and.” We can witness this situation, in FIG. 60 b , 6007, from White's perspective, where an enemy starbug Be, 6011, has plotted a landing into the white tower at C5, where allied starbug We resides. That starbug We is plotting support claim 20 Step c), “the broken supporter starbug must then plot a retreat into any empty allied house adjacent to its current terra, but, if such retreat is not possible, the allied player removes that broken supporter starbug from the board of play,” and claim 20 Step d) when the game disallows, as in previous claims, “any slides or voluntary termination for any starbug required to undertake a plotted retreat or to undertake removal from the board of play due to the impossibility of such retreat.” We now move to the complete description of FIGS. 60 a, 60 b , and 60 c.

In FIG. 60 a , we see four Starbug Plot Compasses, as revealed in the title to the legend, 6001, for the “Plotted Landings and Plotted Supports/Round 6 of Piece Movement.” Three plotted landings (by starbugs Be, Bo, and Wi) and one plotted support (by starbug We) are shown. In the first plot compass, for the Black starbug Be, we notice that the Northwest direction has a circle and slash through it, which indicates a plotted landing in that direction, set for elimination, 6002. The second plot compass, for Bo, has the same circle and slash through Northwest as well, for a plotted landing 6003. The third and fourth starbugs are controlled by White. The starbug We has a ripple indication around the direction East, 6004, which is the distinctive marking for plotted support in that East direction to a terra located East, adjacent to its resident terra, serving as its current terra. The starbug Wi, alternatively, has a slash across the direction West, 6005, which indicates a plotted landing in that direction.

As we turn to FIG. 60 b , we notice the effects of these three plotted landings and one support. The gameboard is named Cambysis, during Round 6 of Piece Movement, as the legend indicates, 6006. The starbug We, residing in a white tower at C5, 6007, has an available peg in the East direction, and thus can plot support in that direction to strengthen the allied landing of Wi in the plain terra C6. Of course, support means there is no risk of merging with the allied starbug Wi, because We is not plotting a landing on C6 at the same time. The support by We of Wi is shown, 6008, as a series of ripples in the East direction from We's present terra. The starbug Wi, 6009, is shown plotting a landing West into that terra, C6, as shown by the white plotted landing arrow 6010.

Meanwhile, Black decides to break the (correctly anticipated) support by We, which currently sits in C5, but supports the landing of Wi in C6, by having the starbug Be, 6011, plot a landing into the white tower currently occupied by supportive We, 6012. At the same time, the starbug Bo, 6013, plots a landing into the plain at C6, 6014. We thus have a contested terra at C6, which is contested by Bo and Wi, with Wi receiving support from We, but We's support is pre-emptively broken by the plotted landing of Be departing from D6 in a Northwest direction into the undefended current terra of We at C5, 6007.

We now move to resolving this broken support, by invoking claim 20 Step c), whose result is shown by FIG. 60 c . In this step, “the broken supporter starbug then must plot a retreat into any empty allied house adjacent to its current terra, but, if such retreat is not possible, the allied player removes that broken supporter starbug from the board of play.”

In FIG. 60 c , the map legend title again lists the gameboard Cambysis, during the Piece Movement Phase, after Round 6 is completed, 6015. We find Be, after breaking support by We, is able to convert a white tower to black and then occupy the black tower of two stories, located at C5, 6016. This is because Be was not opposed by any enemy starbug plotting any landing into C5 during this round. (The presence of We in C5 supporting another starbug in another terra does not serve as protection for either the C5 terra, nor for We itself!) Remember, the C5 terra was formerly a white tower with two stories, then currently sited by We, 6007, but no longer.

Where is We now? We remember that We, which was offering support to Wi in FIG. 60 b , 6008, from the vantage of C5, must attempt retreat, from C5, as in the current step, but there are no viable plot directions for retreat available to We. To check on this question of plot retreat viability, we examine all of the remaining plot directions on the plot compass, and whether any empty white houses are adjacent to C5 in those available directions. We see the available legs of We for retreat at 6019, which are West and Southeast. But there are no white houses available either West or Southeast from C5. Thus West and Southeast are not viable plot directions. The plot direction of Up is also not viable, because the terra that Up points to, namely the same tower in C5, is no longer an allied white house, but an enemy black house. Therefore Up as a direction cannot be used. With nowhere to retreat to, We is thereby removed from the board, 6019, and 6022.

What about the starbugs Bo and Wi contesting a terra, within the plain at C6? For this contested terra, we follow all of claim 19. Since Bo for Black was alone in landing at C6 and unsupported, and Wi for White was also alone in landing at C6 and unsupported (We's support for Wi was disrupted and broken and so nullified by the plot landing of Be into C5), the contested terra at C6 had a tied player sum of 1 plot landing for Black and 1 plot landing for White. Each Starbug from both players thus need to retreat, if possible, into an adjacent empty allied house if an available plot direction points to such a safe haven, but, if not possible, any non-retreating starbugs need to be removed from the gameboard, as is provided in claim 19, Step b) Substep First we examine starbug Bo. We see the only available plot direction for Bo is Southwest, from C6 to D5, as shown at 6018. Since there is a lake at D5, we find that this lake is not a safe haven for retreat. Thus Bo is removed, 6018, and 6021, from the board of play.

Now we examine starbug Wi. Wi has three available directions: North, East, and South, as shown at 6020. But none of these three directions will bring Wi from C6 to an empty white house. Thus no direction is viable. Wi is also removed, 6023. This completes claim 20.

Consider the following scenario. When exactly two starbugs of one player (here Black) plot a landing onto a targeted terra (thus totaling 2 landings and 0 supports), while one starbug of a second player (here White) plots a landing into that very same contested terra, with two starbugs plotting additional support for the same contested terra (thus totaling 1 landing but with 2 supports). How is such a contested terra resolved into a settlement that is fair and square, resulting in starbug occupations, retreats or removals between the two players? For that answer, we look to claim 21.

The conditional preamble to the dependent claim 21 begins: “if starbugs of two or more players plot landings onto the same targeted terra during the same round of play, with at least one additional starbug allied with at least one such landing player successfully plotting support into that contested terra, then resolving such a contested terra, by” which is followed by procedural steps.

The first step, claim 21, Step a) directs “each individual player, adding each allied starbug that is plotting a landing within the contested terra, with each such landing having a value of one, thereby creating the first final addend of obtaining an individual player sum,” followed by “plus,” whatever is directed in claim 21, Step b). In this step, “each individual player, adding each allied starbug that is plotting unbroken support onto that same contested terra, with each support having a value equal to or less than one but greater than zero, thereby creating the last final addend of obtaining an individual player sum.”

Before we go beyond this second step, and calculate our sum, we should first count the number of starbugs plotting any landings in the contested terra on behalf of each individual player in our scenario. Then we should count the number of starbugs supporting such landings in the contested terra—on an unbroken basis—for each individual player in our scenario.

We find, for our scenario, that there are five starbugs, two for Black, three for White. The plot clocks of the five starbugs are shown in FIG. 61 a , with their selected plotted landings or plotted supports shown. To better illustrate the contested terra conflict between Black and White, FIG. 61 b shows the individual starbug movements of only Black, and FIG. 61 c shows the individual starbug movements of only White. The contested terra, as shown in both FIGS. 61 b and 61 c , is the plain terra at F5. Two arrows of plotted landings by Black starbugs Ba and Bi terminate at F5, 6114, 6116, in FIG. 61 b , and one arrow of a plotted landing by a White starbug terminates at F5, 6119, in FIG. 61 c.

Thus the starbugs for Black landing in the contested terra F5 are two: Ba and Bi, as revealed in the legend of Starbug Plot Compasses, 6101. Ba, 6102, plots a landing by selecting (circling and eliminating with a diagonal slash) a direction on its plot compass, which is Northeast, 6103. Bi, 6104, plots a landing by selecting (circling and eliminating with a diagonal slash) the South direction, 6105.

Thus the starbugs landing in the contested terra for Black are counted as two. Zero black starbugs are plotting support into the contested terra.

All told, the starbugs for White are three: Wi, Wo and Wy. Wi, 6106, plots a landing by selecting (circling and eliminating) a direction on its plot compass, which is Southwest, 6107. (The other two starbugs of White are plotting supports rather than landings, and will not be counted in this first stage of creating a “player sum” of plotted landings.)

Thus the starbugs landing in the contested terra for White are one, with two White starbugs plotting support. Black so far has 2, White so far has 1.

But then we immediately move to claim 21 Step b) which directs: “for each individual player, adding each allied starbug that is plotting support onto that same contested terra, with each support having a value equal to or less than one but greater than zero, thereby creating the last final addend of obtaining an individual player sum.” We can now count the two White starbugs (Wo and Wy) supporting the White allied starbug landing in the contested terra (Wi).

We see Wo, 6108, creating a ripple of support in the West direction, 6109, and also slashing it for elimination. We also see Wy, 6110, creating a ripple of support in the East direction, and also slashing it in elimination, 6111.

The geographic situation on the gameboard is shown in FIG. 61 b where we see Black's plotted landings (and any supports), and in FIG. 61 c where we see White's plotted landings (and any supports).

For Black, in FIG. 61 b we see Ba, 6113, on a three-story black tower at G4 plotting a landing on the adjacent plain at F5, 6114, shown by the arrow. At the same time, Bi, 6115, is plotting a landing South onto that same adjacent plain at F5, 6116.

For White, in FIG. 61 c we see Wi, 6118, at E6, plotting a landing on the contested terra F5, 6119. Supporting Wi are the two allied starbugs We and Wy, 6120, and 6122. The ripple effect of the two supports are shown, with Wo supporting in a West direction from F6 to F5, 6121, and Wy supporting in an East direction, 6123. Wo supports Wi by using the shared side of F6 (on its West side) and F5 (on its East side). Notice that Wy is supporting Wi by using the shared side of F7 (on the East side) and F5 (on the West side) connecting the two extreme ends of the landstrand portal, bordered by sea water. But how much are these two supports by White worth?

The fractional value of a support “having a value less than or equal to one but greater than zero” can be any number in that range. If the value is not a lower fraction, but 1 itself, then by adding for Black and White the plotted landings and supports together, White clearly wins, 3 to 2. If the value of a support, however, is a lower fraction, then that value is less than 1, and players might prefer a setting whereby the support is either 1) somewhere above 0.50, 2) exactly at 0.50, or 3) somewhere below 0.50. Each of these outcomes is revealed in Tables 7a, 7b, and 7c, each pertaining respectively to FIGS. 62, 63, and 64 . The determination of this fractional value of support can take place by automated game determination, or else by player agreement before the start of game play. Either way, this is a setting, not a value set in stone. No matter what the setting, if it is set before the game begins, no player gains any kind of advantage over another. Thus the game maintains its strategic board game purity.

Once the fractional value is determined at the beginning of the game, the sum results of landings and supports for the individual players can be ranked, as per the instructions of claim 21 Step c), which provides that “for each individual player, adding these addends together to obtain each individual player sum, then ranking such player sums from highest to lowest as a basis of settling that contested terra, whereby,” the step continues with two contingent Substeps i. and ii.

We can establish what happens with FIGS. 61 a, b, and c , when a whole number of 1 is given for every starbug making a plotted landing into the single contested terra at F5, and, the arbitrary value of 5/9, or an estimated 0.55 is given for every starbug making a plotted support into that same contested terra at F5. This calculation is shown in the next Table 8a, below:

TABLE 8a A Table of Values to Resolve the Game Method of Claim 21. Scenario One: Plotted Landings and Plotted Supports by Players Into Contested Terra with Fractional Value of Supports Set At .55. Scenario One Contested Terra of Juniper: F5 Type of Plot Directed into a Value of Product: Targeted Terra: Each * Number Player Score For Black Landing 1 2 2 +Support 0.55 0 0 Black Total 2.00 Type of Plot Directed into a Value of Product: Targeted Terra: Each * Number Player Score For White Landing 1 1 1 +Support 0.55 2 1.10 White Total 2.10 Ranking of Players: White Uniquely Highest Black Lower

What happens next? We discover the result by reading claim 21 Step c), Substep i. and Substep ii. The first substep states: “player with sole standing as having uniquely the highest sum from such landings and unbroken supports, then wins the terra and merges all landing allied starbugs into a single starbug that successfully occupies the contested terra, as if the contested terra were uncontested, with unbroken supporters remaining in place.” Examining the Table 8a, we see that White wins the ranking among the two players contesting the terra at F5, and thus Wi is able to occupy F5 due to White's sole standing as having uniquely highest sum after everything is duly calculated, and Wi being the only Starbug performing a landing there. Also, Wo continues to occupy the white hut at F6, and Wy continues to occupy the white tower at F7, because they were unbroken within their current terras by any landings of enemy starbugs.

In this Scenario One, what of the losing player Black? Claim 21, Step c) Substep ii., states that “any player having either a tied or lower sum from such landings and supports, then loses the terra and plots a retreat for each such landing starbug into any empty allied house adjacent to the contested terra, but, if such retreat is not possible, the game removes the unretreating starbug from the board of play, with unbroken supporters remaining in place.”

Thus Black must retreat its landing starbugs Ba and Bi from F5, to any available empty allied house adjacent to the contested terra. In FIG. 62 a , we see the plot compasses, 6201, of Black starbugs retreating from terra F5 following the logic of Table 8a. Starbug Ba, 6202, is retreating by circling the Southwest direction 6203, then crossing out with a combined diogonal and diagonal slash, meaning a retreat being eliminated from the plot compass. As to Bi, 6204, we see that the North direction has been selected for retreat, with the large circle of selection inscribed by a combined diogonal and diagonal slash, representing a retreat direction eliminated, 6205.

We now turn to FIG. 62 b , where a blow-up of a section of gameboard Juniper is shown, and the retreats of Ba and Bi displayed. First we see Ba, 6207, retreating from F5, 6208. Ba is using the available Southwest peg, which will soon be physically pulled from the body of the starbug. We also see Bi, 6209, in terra E5, retreating from F5 by pulling off the North peg, also soon to be eliminated.

In FIG. 62 c , we see what the results of all these occupations, retreats, and eliminations of pegged directions look like for the surviving starbugs on the gameboard. The legend for the Juniper gameboard declares that we are viewing the “Final Occupations by All Starbugs in Vicinity of Contested Terra F5,” for this scenario, 6211. First we see the victorious starbug Wi, 6212, in the prized contested terra F5. We notice that its Southwest peg has been pulled off, because it was used for landing into the terra. The starbug Wo, 6213, is missing its West peg, because it was used in support of Wi's landing. Starbug Wy is also missing its East peg, 6214, because it also was used in support of Wi's landing. Black has two starbugs that in FIG. 62 c have successfully completed a retreat, where the Southwest peg is pulled off of Ba between the snapshots of 6207, and 6215, because Ba pulled off its Southwest peg to arrive at G4 in retreat. Similarly the North peg is pulled off of Bi between the snapshots of 6210 and 6216, because Bi pulled off its North peg to arrive at E5 in retreat.

The next set of table fields and illustrations, in Table 8b, and FIGS. 62 a, 62 b, and 62 c , show the results of another contested terra situation between Black and White, where the fraction for support is set exactly at ½, or 0.50. What happens in this scenario?

TABLE 8b A Table of Values to Resolve the Game Method of Claim 21. Scenario Two: Plotted Landings and Plotted Supports by Players Into Contested Terra with Fractional Value of Supports Set At .50. Scenario Two Contested Terra of Juniper: F5 Type of Plot Directed into a Value of Product: Targeted Terra: Each * Number Player Score For Black Landing 1 2 2 +Support 0.50 0 0 Black Total 2.00 Type of Plot Directed into a Value of Product: Targeted Terra: Each * Number Player Score For White Landing 1 1 1 +Support 0.50 2 1.00 White Total 2.00 Ranking of Players: Black Tied White Tied

In this second scenario, we see that the value of 0.50 for each support, which means that two landing starbugs with no support (controlled by Black) is tied in player score with one landing starbug plus two supporting starbugs (controlled by White). In this scenario, all landing starbugs contesting the terra at F5 must retreat, if possible, into adjacent empty allied houses. If such retreats are not possible, then the non-retreating starbugs required to retreat are removed from the game.

In this scenario the only difference from the previous scenario is the value of each support: a fraction of ½, or 0.50, rather than a larger fraction. The result is that one landing for Black, creating a sub-score of 1, and two supports on behalf of that landing, creating a second sub-score of 1, for a total score of 2 for Black, which is exactly tied with a total of 2 for White. There is no sole standing of any winner having the uniquely highest score. Therefore all of the two Black and one White landing starbugs must retreat, if possible, to empty allied houses adjacent to the contested terra on F5.

We find by glancing at the Starbug Plot Compasses of FIG. 63 a and the Juniper snapshots of FIGS. 63 b and 63 c , that the Black starbugs Ba and Bi are able to retreat safely, but unfortunately the White starbug Wi does not survive the contested terra resolution, as found at 6306 in FIG. 63 a , or 6311 and 6312 in FIG. 63 b . Every other aspect of the settled terra of F5 in Scenario Two (0.50 for supports) is identical to that of Scenario One (0.55 for supports).

Finally we can see what happens in Table 8c if Black wins the Scenario Three, by setting the fractional value of support less than 0.50, set at 0.45. We see this scenario played out in FIGS. 64 a and 64 b , where one player (Black) gains sole standing as an uncontested winner, and the other player (White) attempting retreat.

TABLE 8c A Table of Values To Fulfill the Game Method of Claim 21. Scenario Three: Landings and Supports of Different Player Into A Contested Terra with Fractional Value of Supports Set at 0.45. Scenario Three Contested Terra of Juniper: F5 Type of Plot Directed into a Value of Product: Targeted Terra: Each * Number Player Score For Black Landing 1 2 2 +Support 0.45 0 0 Black Total 2.00 Type of Plot Directed into a Value of Product: Targeted Terra: Each * Number Player Score For White Landing 1 1 1 +Support 0.45 2 0.90 White Total 1.90 Ranking of Players: Black Uniquely Highest White Lower

The only difference from the previous two scenarios is the reduced value of support: a fraction of 4/9, or approximately 0.45 (here in Scenario Three), rather than 4/8, that is 5/10, or ½, or 0.50 (here in Scenario Two) and 5/9, or 0.55, (as in Scenario One). The result in this Scenario Three is that two supports on behalf of White result in a score of 0.9, or a total sum score of 1.9 for White, and a total of 2 for Black.

In this scenario, Black stands alone as uniquely highest among all of the contenders of the contested terra F5. We see the implications of this scenario by examining FIGS. 64 a and 64 b . In FIG. 64 a we see the plot compasses for BaBi, the merged victor of the plain on F5, alongside three plot compasses for Wi, Wo, and Wy. The legend of Starbug Plot Compasses, 6401, describes the graphics shown: “After Plotted Landing, Merger, and Removal/From Contested Terra F5: Table 9c.” Ba and Bi merged when they both plotted a landing into the same terra at the same time, during Round 5 of the Conquest Phase of the Juniper gameboard. Ba and Bi each had many missing pegs from early rounds of plotted landings. Now the BaBi plot compass has only three missing pegs: East, South, and West, 6402. Is Black stronger with Ba and Bi merged together, or is Black weaker, when compared to having Ba and Bi separate? How important is the plain on F5 to hold for the sake of building a dominion of nine or more connected houses? These are strategic questions to be answered by player experience with the game, not by the claims of the invention.

The plot compasses show mortal damage to the starbug Wi. Wi is to be removed from the gameboard, with the diagonal slash across its name, 6403. This is because Wi plotted a landing on F5, contending that terra against the two Black starbugs Ba and Bi, but, after losing, could not find a safe haven of retreat. There were no empty white houses accessible to Wi on its plot compass. The two other White starbugs, Wo and Wy, have no extra costs burdening them beyond what they committed to with their plotted supports during this Round 5 of Piece Movement, 6404 and 6405.

We now look upon FIG. 64 b , and the legend describing the gameboard Juniper, “After Merger by Black Starbugs and White's Removal of Starbug Wi from Terra F5,” 6506. The gameboard shows the new occupant of the plain on F5, the merged starbug BaBi, 6407. In the direction East one space and two spaces from F5 are the two white starbugs Wo and Wy, 6408 and 6409, on F6 and F7, respectively. The starbug Wi, 6410, is found outside of the gameboard, above the imperative “Remove,” 6411, in accordance with claim 21, Step c) Substep ii.

We follow up with the rule of claim 21, Step d): “disallowing any slides or voluntary termination for any starbug required to undertake a plotted retreat or to undertake removal from the board of play due to the impossibility of such retreat.”

We next move to a very important claim, claim 22, which takes claim 21, and comprises additional steps that transform a plot compass into a plot clock, similar to that of the plot clock used for creating the gameboard.

A plot clock is created by assigning a numeric value to each and every direction of every possible plotted action. This numeric value is assigned therefore to all plotted landings, plotted supports, and plotted retreats. Beyond those constructive plots, we notice that one plotted numeral is also to be assigned for plot clock termination. The strength of these numeric values are used in claim 23 to resolve any and all contested terra scenarios, on a simple additive basis, that removes a great deal of complexity associated with resolving the conflicts between opposing plot compasses.

Claim 22 Step a) begins “before the first round of Gameboard Piece Movement, counting all of the unique compass directions on each starbug plot compass, but starting with 0 for the first, to 1 for the second, and so on to a highest number for the last, whereby the entire range of ascending numerals from lowest to highest is expressed in the single digits of a created base numeral system.” In FIG. 65 a , we see the legend title for a Starbug Plot Compass, 6501, with the caption for a “One plot compass used for starbugs traveling on square terras” and show the plot compass below it, named Wa, 6511, with directions from North, 6502, clockwise to Northwest, 6509, and Up, 6510, and Down, 6511. The name of the Starbug, Wa, is given, 6512. The range of unique numerals is counted up from 0 to 9 for all 10 directions on the plot compass, and is provided in the box labelled with 6513. This satisfies claim 22 Step a).

Claim 22 Step b) then assigns “a unique numeral from this base numeral system to each compass direction on each starbug's plot compass, thereby creating each starbug's plot clock, where each numeral is assigned on a pairwise basis to each unique direction.” We see this manifested in FIG. 65 b , in the legend for a standardized Starbug Plot Clock, namely a “Basic Plot Clock for a starbug/plotting various actions onto square terras: plotting a landing, support, and retreat,” 6514. For example, for Wa, 6515, 2 is attached to the Northeast position. We note that for this Wa the numeral 2 is selected for plotted landing and elimination in a Northeast direction, 6516. Also part of the 6515 Wa plot clock is the double-underline for 5-South, meaning a double slide South. This plot clock will be used for the Order Log in FIG. 65 c.

For the second Wa, 6517, the numeral 2 is selected for plotted support in a Northeast direction, 6518. Finally, the third Wa at the right, 6519, has the numeral 2 selected for plotted retreat, 6520. These plot clocks are included merely to demonstrate the other two constructive plotted actions that can take place, beyond plotted landings.

Claim 22 Step c) then follows, “during each round of gameboard piece movement, allowing each player to select a sequence of one or more numerals uniquely assigned to compass directions on each allied starbug's plot clock for:” Substep i. “a plotted landing,” Substep ii. “a plotted support,” or Substep iii. a plotted retreat.” We see one of these selections, a plotted landing, as per 6515, 2-Northeast, (showing both a circle symbol for selection as a plotted landing and a diagonal slash for automatic elimination to follow). Also part of 6515 is the double-underlined 5 direction meaning a double slide South.

An order log is presented next. The legend for the Order Log states that we are in Conquest Round 1 of a new gameboard, named Giotto, 6521. We need not see the actual gameboard to understand the order log. In the order log listing the Gameboard as Giotto, we show that we are in Conquest Round 1, 6522, and we see the starbug in question, under player White, named Wa, 6523. The resident terra is located in the grid location of B5, 6524, and Wa is to slide south, and south again, 6525, thru the terras C5 and D5, where Chaos and a white tower are located, 6526, the later from which Wa will plot a landing two spaces southeast (such jumping capability due to the tower having not one but two stories), 6527, onto B7 where the targeted terra, a black house, is located, 6528. The order log itself reads, 6529, “White Wa: From resident terra at B5, slide South one space to C5, slide South one space to D5, then plot a landing 2-Northeast two spaces onto the targeted terra at B7.” This 2-NE selection of the plot clock satisfies claim 22.

In claim 23, we come to the next claim, which involves the settlement of contested terras among starbugs landing and supporting with plot clocks, by using the unique numerical values attached to all plotted movements. Indeed claim 23, as a dependent claim stemming all the way back to claim 13, dramatizes the featured embodiment of the game for rounds of Gameboard Piece Movement of an already constructed gameboard.

Claim 23 is the game of claim 22 further comprising the revising steps of “if one or more starbugs with plot clocks from each of two or more players plot landings into the same contested terra during the same round of play, with starbugs allied with at least one player possibly plotting additional support,” followed by “then.” Before we go to the next step, we must acknowledge the term “possibly” to mean that there are contested terras that sometimes have plotted supports by one or more contesting players, but this claim covers all cases of all plotted landings, including those with and those without plotted supports for any one of those landings.

With that we go into claim 23 Step a) “for each individual player, adding together the plot clock numerals of all such plotted landings as the initial addend, plus the plot clock numerals for any plotted supports of such landings as the final addend, as all directed upon that contested terra by allied starbugs, to obtain individual player sums.” For these remaining steps of this claim, we go to FIGS. 66 a, 66 b , and 66 c.

In FIG. 66 a , we find the legend for Starbug Plot Clocks, specifying “Plotted Landings and Plotted Supports/Round 5 of Conquest,” 6601. We then see a division of Black and White starbugs, with Ba, 6602, as the first Black starbug displayed with the numeral 2 selected for plotted landing, for Northeast, 6603. The next Black starbug, 6604, has the numeral 5 selected for plotted landing, for South, 6605.

For the White starbugs, we see Wi displayed, 6606, and the numeral 6 selected for plotted landing, for Southwest, 6607. The next White starbug, Wo, 6608, has the numeral 7 selected for plotted support, for the direction West, 6609. And the last White starbug, Wy, 6610, has the numeral 3 selected for plotted support, for the direction East, 6611.

If we were to assume that all of these starbugs, and no others, were involved in landing or in supporting the landing onto the same contested terra during this round, then we would immediately be able to follow claim 23 Step a) which directs the game to add together, for each individual player with at least one plotted landing in such a contested terra, every single plotted landing and plotted support for that terra by that player. Adding up Black, we see 2+5=7, and adding up White, we see 6+7+3=16. Thus we would know that White has the higher individual player sum, and Black has the lower individual player sum. But we need to complete the remaining steps of the claim, and also need to examine FIGS. 66 b and 66 c for the gameboard map context of those remaining steps of addition and comparison.

In FIG. 66 b we see the gameboard map legend, “Juniper” as the name of the gameboard, followed by “Conquest moves by Black, Round 5,” 6612. On the gameboard map, we see two Black starbugs, Ba, 6613, and Bi, 6615, located in terras G4 and E5, respectively. Ba is making a Northeast plotted landing, with the numeral 5 next to its landing arrow, 6614. The starbug Bi is making a South landing, 6616, with the numeral 2 next to its landing arrow. To the right of the gameboard map cross-section, we see the two landing numerals being added together, “5+2=7,” 6617, with “Black” listed as the player having the sum calculated. Thus Black has the individual player sum of 7 for all plotted landings and supports onto the contested terra, which is F5.

Now we move to FIG. 66 c . The legend here says “Juniper, Conquest Moves by White, Round 5,” 6618. We then see three White starbugs. The first, Wi, 6619, on terra E6, has a plotted landing arrow pointing Southwest, with the numeral 6 nearby, 6620. That 6 represents the strength Wi contributes as it makes a plotted landing. The second White starbug, Wo, 6621, on the terra F6, has a plotted support ripple directed West, with the numeral 7 attached, 6622. The third, Wy, 6623, on terra F7, has a plotted ripple directed East, 6623, with the numeral 3 attached, 6624. All of these plotted landings and supports by White also focus on the terra F5.

We recall the fact that opposite ends of landstrands bounded on both sides with sea water are in fact portals that act as adjacencies. Thus the plotted ripple from Wy on terra F7 going East impacts the terra on the opposite end of the horizontal landstrand, from East-to-West, starting with F7 and ending with F5. Thus the White starbug Wi plotting a landing on F5 receives plotted support from the West side of the terra, due to the plotted support from the East direction, crossing the landstrand portal, from the starbug Wy on F7.

To the right of the gameboard cross-section we see the individual player sum for “White” as “6+7+3=16,” 6625.

We then move to the next step, claim 23 Step b) which reads, “ranking such individual player sums from highest to lowest as a basis of resolving that contested terra, whereby:” followed by two possible outcomes for an individual player engaged in the contested terra. The first is sole standing in first place, under substep i.: the “player with sole standing as having uniquely the highest sum from such landings and unbroken supports, then wins the terra and merges all landing allied starbugs into a single starbug that successfully occupies the contested terra, as if the contested terra were uncontested, with unbroken supporters remaining in place.”

The second is anything less than sole standing in first place, which includes being tied for first place, under substep ii.: “the player having either a tied or lower sum from such landings and unbroken supports, then loses the terra and plots a retreat for each such landing starbug into any empty allied house adjacent to the contested terra, but, if such retreat is not possible, the game removes the unretreating starbug from the board of play, with unbroken supporters remaining in place.”

The two contingent outcomes are identical in claims 21 and 23, but the means to obtain such outcomes are different. Claim 23 uses the additions of plot clock numerals to obtain individual player sums for all plotted landings and supports into a contested terra.

Finally there is the restriction on the use of slides or of voluntary termination of the starbug plot clock, with claim 23, Step c): “disallowing any slides or voluntary termination for any starbug required to undertake a plotted retreat or to undertake removal from the board of play due to the impossibility of such retreat.”

We can see the plot clock numeral additions, sums, and outcomes for the contested terra F5 in Table 9a, which takes the Tables 8a-c, and modifies it so that its outcomes are indeed based on plot clock numerals alone.

TABLE 9a A Table of Values To Fulfill the Game Method of Claim 23 With Basic Plot Clocks. Scenario One: Adding The Basic Plot Clock Numeral Values of Landings and Supports of Two Different Players Into A Contested Terra, FIGS. 66a-c. Scenario One Contested Terra of Juniper: F5 Type of Plotting Directed into Value of Sum: the Targeted Terra: Each Player Score For Player Black Landing 5 + 2 7 +Support 0 7 Type of Plotting Directed into Value of Sum: the Targeted Terra: Each Player Score For Player White Landing 6 6 +Support 7 + 3 10 16 Ranking of Players: White Uniquely Highest Black Lower

In this Table 9a, we obtain the same outcome as when we compare individual player sums in FIG. 66 b , 6617, where Black (“5+2=7”) is compared in 6625 to White (“6+7+3=16”), to get an outcome of “16>7”, 6626. By this comparison, we find White not just in first place, but with sole standing in first place, due to having uniquely the highest sum of all ranked players (the greater-than sign is not an equal sign or a lesser-than sign).

Thus White is able to conquer the plain terra at F5, and Wi, which plotted a landing there, is able to occupy it for the remaining duration of the round. Black is forced to retreat its two landing starbugs, if possible. The outcome of this conflict, in FIGS. 66 a-c , with all of the retreats and occupations, is identical to that of FIG. 62 c . This is because only the plot mechanism (a plot clock calculation rather than a plot compass calculation) for arriving at the contested terra outcome is different between FIGS. 62 a-c and FIGS. 66 a-c . The outcome is the exactly same (only White occupies F5, only Black retreats from F5).

Thus with Basic Plot Clocks, which are used for elementary games of plot clock development, White would prevail in this last illustrated particular scenario. But with certain “scrambled” plot clocks (where such scrambling can be obtained either randomly, or else obtained deterministically via any re-distribution of numerals utilizing the method of claim 12) the outcome of this illustrated conflict can easily turn to the advantage of Black.

We will provide a brief example.

In FIG. 67 a , two Plot Clock Templates of each player Black and White, are shown. In the legend, 6701, we see “Scrambled plot clocks serving as uniform templates for starbugs of each player,” for Black and White, 6702 and 6703, respectively.

These two plot clock templates of FIG. 67 a , when compared to the Basic Plot Clock configuration of FIG. 65 b , are indeed scrambled. For example, the Southwest direction on the Black plot clock has a value of 0. The Southwest direction on the White plot clock has a value of 4. On the Basic Plot Clock, used for “starter” games, the Southwest direction has a value of 6.

In FIG. 67 b , we find the legend of individual Starbug Plot Clocks reflecting, in identical language to the legend of FIG. 66 a , the “Plotted Landings and Plotted Supports, For Contesting Terra F5 in Round 5 of Piece Movement,” 6704. So the same starbugs, but different plot clock configurations, are being used to attempt conquest of terra F5. We show the five plot clocks first, on a scrambled basis, in FIG. 67 b , and then show the gameboard maps, later, as FIGS. 68 a and 68 b.

The Starbug Ba, 6705, is selecting the numeral 9, which is assigned to the Northeast direction, for a plotted landing, 6706. Bi, 6707, is plotting a landing also, by selecting 8, which is assigned to South, 6708.

Below the Black starbugs we find the White starbugs. The Starbug Wi, 6709, is selecting 4, which is Southwest, 6710, for plotting a landing. Wo, 6711, is selecting 5, 6712, for a plotted support in the West direction. Wy, 6713, is selecting 6 for a plotted support in the East direction. These selected directions for plotted landings and supports are identical in direction to those of the previous Scenario example. The numbers alone are different.

Let us examine this next Scenario from a table perspective before we examine the gameboard map for individual player sums and consequences. We will take the plotted numbers from the individual plot clocks, and apply them to our table, as shown below.

TABLE 9b A Table of Values To Fulfill the Game Method of Claim 23 With Scrambled Plot Clocks. Scenario Two: Adding The Scrambled Plot Clock Numeral Values of Landings and Supports of Two Different Players Into A Contested Terra, FIGS. 68a-b. Scenario Two Contested Terra of Juniper: F5 Type of Plotting Directed into Value of Sum: the Targeted Terra: Each Player Score For Player Black Landing 9 + 8 17 +Support 0 17 Type of Plotting Directed into Value of Sum: the Targeted Terra: Each Player Score For Player White Landing 4 4 +Support 5 + 6 11 15 Ranking of Players: White Uniquely Highest Black Lower

We can see from the Table 9b above that Black has won the contested terra F5, with a sum of plotted landings and supports summing up to 17, which is greater than the individual player sum of White with a sum of 15.

In FIG. 68 a , we see the gameboard map legend of “Juniper, Conquest Moves by Black: Into Terra F5 in Round 5,” 6801. There are two starbugs controlled by Black, Ba, 6802, in terra G4, and Bi, 6804, in terra E5. Ba makes a plotted landing Northeast into the terra at F5, 6803, and Bi makes a plotted landing South into the terra at F5, 6805. The numerical value of Ba's landing is 9, and the numerical value of Bi's landing is 8. The sum result of “Black” is “9+8=17” as shown in 6813.

In FIG. 68 b , we see the gameboard map legend of “Juniper, Conquest Moves by White: Into Terra F5 by Round 5,” starting with Wi, 6807, in terra E6, making a Southwest plotted landing, with a numerical value of 4, 6808. Then there are two plotted supports, the first from Wo, 6809, in terra F6, with a support West, whose numerical value is 3, 6810, and Wy, 6811, with a support East, whose numerical value is 6, 6812. The sum result of “White” is “4+5+6=15”, as shown in 6814. Comparing the two individual player sums, we find that 17>15, 6815. Black thus wins the contested terra at F5, and White loses F5. Black alone occupies F5, and White alone retreats from F5. No supportive starbug has had its support broken.

The result of Black's occupation, on one hand, and White's attempted retreat—failing, and then ending in removal, on the other hand, is accurately shown on an exact basis in the previous FIG. 64 b . This is because only the mechanism of counting addends (from a plot clock calculation rather than from a plot compass calculation) for determining the contested terra outcome is different between FIGS. 64 a-c and FIGS. 68 a-b . The end outcome is the exactly the same FIG. 64 c for both (only Black occupies F5, only White attempts a retreat of Wi from F5, and upon Wi's retreating failure, White must have starbug Wi removed).

Thus, with FIGS. 66 a-c, 67 a-b, and 68 a-b , the featured embodiment of the plot clock being used to evaluate and resolve contested terras, alongside claim 23, of the Piece Movement Phase of play, the preferred embodiment of the inventor is made known to the examiner. When combined with the featured embodiment of the Creation Phase of play of claim 12, the preferred embodiment of the entire game is presented to the examiner for evaluation.

FIG. 69 is an illustration that shows the finished creation of a gameboard made from regular hexagons, rather than squares, to show that a faithful following of claims 1 through 11 can result in a gameboard when there are a total of eight directions, consisting of six sides, North, Northeast, Southeast, South, Southwest, Northwest, and two extra-dimensional aspects, one Up and one Down. Each of these directions from North clockwise through Northwest, plus Up, is provided with numerals 1 through 7, with the numeral 0 and termination provided to the Down direction.

The legend for Dewpoint Isle, 6901, states that it shows a “Hexagon gameboard and plot clocks after Creation, before Piece Movement,” and below the legend there is a map compass 6902, showing a regular hexagon with the eight directions. Below that map compass there are three clocks, two plot clocks for Black and White, and one reaction clock for Chaos, 6903. All of the directions are eliminated by previous selections during Creation.

The gameboard itself shows Chaos, 6904, a black hut with a starbug inside, 6905, a white tower with a tower inside, 6906, a hole with a boat on a shoreline, 6907, a plain at the southeastern cape of the isle, 6908, and a sea aqua, 6909. Table 10 shows all of the moves of the two players, Black and White, to create Dewpoint Isle from a base numeral system of eight digits.

TABLE 10 For FIG. 69: Plot Clock Selections and Chaos Reactions Making The Gameboard called Dewpoint Isle. (Base eight numerals used.) Dewpoint Isle FIG. 69 Round # Black White Chaos 1 2-NE 4-S 6-NW 2 1-N 6-NW 7-U 3 4-S NW | 7-U 3-SE 4 3-SE 5-SW 0-D:REPEAT:3-SE 5 5-SW 1-N 6-NW 6 7-U 2-NE 1-N 7 6-NW 3-SE 1-N 8 0-D 0-D O-D:REPEAT:1-N

CONCLUSION OF SPECIFICATION

Upon this completion of invention specification, the inventor posits to the examiner that the plot compass in all presented embodiments is novel, non-obvious, and has great utility to the gaming world. More specifically, the inventor posits that the “Three Major Flaws” found in the earlier survey of strategy games like Chess or Go, or other war games, can be effectively banished from the invented game by faithfully following a few key claims of the application.

To recall these “Three Major Flaws,” they are 1) nth-mover potential advantage, 2) the replicated placement of pieces to start on the same designated spaces of the very same gameboard, causing a repeatable number of predictable starting moves, and 3) the introduction of random chance to determine various game outcomes between opposing parties.

Nth-mover advantage as the first major flaw is eliminated because all player action, whether during Gameboard Creation, or during Gameboard Piece Movement, takes place simultaneously, within rounds of play, as first expressly provided in independent claims 1 and 13.

More specifically, the first major flaw, is banished in Gameboard Creation by the simultaneous play mentioned in claim 1 Step e): when the game allows “each player, during each round of simultaneous gameboard creation, to select a direction of plotting from one's own player plot compass, thereby creating a pathway from the seed tile to an indicated spot,” [Underlined to emphasize simultaneity of movement during each round of play.]

This first major flaw is also banished during Gameboard Piece Movement, by the simultaneous play mentioned in claim 13 Step d): when the game allows “each player, during each round of simultaneous gameboard piece movement, to select one direction from each piece's plot compass, and specify the number of spaces to be traversed, so to move that piece from its resident tile to a targeted tile, thereby creating an ordered movement sequence,” [Underlined to emphasize simultaneity of gameboard movement during each round of play.]

The second flaw, the replicated placement of starting pieces on the same designated spaces of the very same gameboard, causing a frequently repeatable course of starting moves, is vanquished by the extreme variability of the placement of allied player pieces within allied territories within any single irregularly-shaped gameboard, that is one of many millions of unique gameboards. More explicitly, claim 11 Step a) and claim 11 Step b) respectively provide that after all players have terminated their plot clocks, the game counts “any complete set of connected houses sharing the player's mark of only one player as that player's allied territory,” and places “exactly one allied player's piece into each such allied territory.” As will be demonstrated in the specification and especially in FIGS. 36 through 41 , it is unlikely for two or more players to faithfully follow all claims of claim 1 through claim 12 and then subsequently generate a gameboard that has been created before by any other group of players. Thus it is unlikely to place a player's pieces on spaces that are positioned to replicate that of any previous game.

The third flaw, 3) the introduction of random chance to determine various game outcomes between opposing parties, is vanquished by the methods of resolution of contested terras during the same round of play, as found best in claim 23, but also earlier in claim 19 through claim 22. Most explicitly, the resolution process of claim 23 Steps a) through b) expressly provide that after all players add all of the plotted sums of starbugs engaged in plotted landings and supports relating to a contested terra, the “player with sole standing as having uniquely the highest sum from such landings and unbroken supports, then wins the terra and merges all landing allied starbugs into a single starbug that successfully occupies the contested terra, as if the contested terra were uncontested, with unbroken supporters remaining in place,” and any “player having either a tied or lower sum from such landings and unbroken supports, then loses the terra and plots a retreat for each such landing starbug into any empty allied house adjacent to the contested terra, but, if such retreat is not possible, the game removes the unretreating starbug from the board of play, with unbroken supporters remaining in place.” This means that no randomized outcome is necessary to resolving any and all outcomes relating to any contested terra.

The specification of the invention set forth above is not just the description of a strategic board game, but of a strategic board game system, that allows many variants of many different kinds of strategic board game rules to be employed and played on any flat physical surface or a flat computer display, with the same rule-variant flexibility of a deck of cards used to play suit matching games, or that of an athletic playlot, marked in different ways, with different boundaries, to play many different variations of shooting hoops in variants of basketball.

The specification of the invention set forth above is a true disclosure for anyone practiced or trained in the prior art of designing games, and serves as a complete blueprint for anyone wishing to replicate the game system for their own purposes upon the expiration of the patent.

With that said, the preferred embodiment of the invention is the embodiment that follows claim 12 in Gameboard Creation, and follows claim 23 in Gameboard Piece Movement. All claims up to these final claims of each phase of play are evolutions in the plot compass and what can be created by the plot compass, without needing to pay special heed to the arbitrary names or illustrated appearances of the creations of the plot compass.

Finally, it is critical to state that the game can be played on any flat surface or on any computer display, and that the game is “new to the world,” and not in any way a computerized version of an existing game that is already in the public domain. Thus it is critical that the plot compass, as part of a brand-new method or process for playing a board game, including creating the gameboard and moving pieces upon an already-created gameboard, is recognized as a patentable invention by the examiners reviewing the application.

The inventor thanks the examiner(s) for the time and effort undertaken to understand the invented game device, and performing all acts of examination to render a lawful patent application decision. 

I hereby claim the process and method relating to the following:
 1. A game of gameboard creation whose plot compass enables two or more players to create a custom gameboard made from connected, congruent, and contiguous tiles of a single regular polygon shape, comprising the steps of: a) selecting one shape from the list of either a 4-sided regular polygon, or a 6-sided regular polygon, thereby creating a selected shape, b) placing one surface of that selected shape face up upon an empty plane of space, thereby creating a seed tile, c) assigning unique compass directions to any subset of the set exhausting every side, corner, and extra-dimensional aspect of that seed tile, thereby creating a frame compass as a template surrounding that seed tile, d) providing to each player an individualized version of that frame compass template, thereby creating two or more player plot compasses, e) allowing each player, during each round of simultaneous gameboard creation, to select a direction of plotting from one's own player plot compass, thereby creating a pathway from the seed tile to an indicated spot, f) plotting a new tile of selected shape onto that indicated spot, creating what can be arbitrarily called a terra of land.
 2. The game of claim 1, further comprising the revising steps of: a) making a distinctive mark for each player, thereby creating a player's mark, b) displaying that player's mark on each terra plotted exclusively by only a single player during a given round, thereby creating what can be arbitrarily called a house allied to that player, c) displaying a distinctive neutral mark on any terra that is plotted jointly by two or more players during a given round, thereby creating what can be arbitrarily called a mountain.
 3. The game of claim 2 further comprising the revising step of preventing any player from plotting a terra on top of any terra that is not either an allied house or the seed tile.
 4. The game of claim 3 further comprising the revising steps of: a) eliminating each selected compass direction that plots a terra from the player plot compass, so that the selected direction is not able to be used again in any later round for plotting, b) preventing a player from plotting any land of a terra anywhere if every selectable space of adjacency to the seed tile is not viable, either because such space is: i. already filled by a terra that is not an allied house, or: ii. already eliminated as a compass direction for plotting from that player's plot compass, c) requiring any one extra-dimensional aspected direction of a player plot compass to be a selectable instruction to terminate that device.
 5. The game of claim 4 further comprising the revising steps of: a) allowing each player in each round the repeatable option to engage in a series of one or more slides by selecting any original direction from the player's plot compass, whether that direction has been eliminated by a previous plot or not, to shift that player's plot compass away from the seed tile to frame anew an allied house, as an eligible terra adjacent to that seed tile, and from there, if desired, to frame anew another such eligible terra that is so adjacent to that of the previous one, and so on, until, from that vantage, after all slides are completed, the player either: i. plots a terra of a new allied house, if no other player plots in the same selected empty space during that round, or ii. plots a terra of a new mountain, if more than one player plots in the same selected empty space during that round, and b) for the designated purpose of selecting a direction for sliding, exempting any original direction of the plot compass from elimination, or from being affected by any previous elimination; but maintaining such eliminations for the designated purpose of selecting a direction for plotting.
 6. The game of claim 5, but before the first round of gameboard creation, further comprising the revising steps of: a) substituting a new neutral terra for the seed tile, where such a terra can be arbitrarily called Chaos, b) counting all of the unique compass directions of the frame compass, starting with 0 for the first such counted direction, to 1 for the second, and so on to a highest numeral for the last, whereby the entire range of ascending numerals from lowest to highest is expressed in the single digits of a created base numeral system that ends at that highest numeral, c) assigning a unique numeral from that base numeral system to each compass direction on each player's plot compass, thereby creating each player's plot clock, where each unique clock numeral serves as a substitute for each unique compass direction, d) providing all of the unique compass directions of the same frame compass to guide the prospective movement of each future Chaos reaction, thereby creating a Chaos reaction compass, e) assigning a unique numeral from the base numeral system of the frame compass to each compass direction on that Chaos reaction compass, thereby creating a Chaos reaction clock, where each unique clock numeral serves as a substitute for each unique compass direction that Chaos may move.
 7. The game of claim 6, during each round of gameboard creation, further comprising the steps of: a) allowing each player to select a numeral from one's own player plot clock corresponding to a compass direction for a selected empty space that plots a terra that has adjacency either to: i. Chaos, or to ii. any allied house that is framed via one or more slides away from Chaos, b) plotting a new terra onto each selected empty space of such adjacency, c) collecting each selected single numeral from each player plot clock, and adding all such numerals together to create a sum in the common base numeral system whose last digit is saved, d) finding the compass direction of the Chaos reaction clock that matches this saved last digit, e) for that found compass direction: i. if indicating a pathway along any particular side or corner of Chaos, then moving Chaos in that found compass direction thru terras of every kind until stopping at the first empty space so discovered, ii. if indicating a pathway along any extra-dimensional aspect of Chaos with any numeral greater than the least numeral among all such extra-dimensional aspects, then leaving Chaos stationary in its place, and, iii. if indicating a pathway along any extra-dimensional aspect of Chaos with either the least or the only numeral among all such extra-dimensional aspects, then: a. if the compass direction is found during the first round of gameboard creation, then leaving Chaos stationary in its place, and b. if the compass direction is found in any round of gameboard creation following the first round, then repeating the reaction of Chaos from the most previous round, f) creating a new type of neutral terra, in the first empty space vacated by Chaos if it has moved in a found compass direction along a side or corner of Chaos, whereby that neutral terra can be arbitrarily called a plain.
 8. The game of claim 7, further comprising the revising step of: before the first round of gameboard creation, creating a new type of neutral terra, which can be arbitrarily called a hole, already residing beneath Chaos, revealed only when Chaos vacates its initial position for the first time by moving by side or corner reaction in a found compass direction.
 9. The game of claim 8, further comprising the revising step of: immediately before and immediately after every Chaos reaction, examining the gameboard for any empty space of any size or shape surrounded on all sides by terras, and filling that empty space completely with a new type of neutral tile, which can be arbitrarily called a lake, which further can be arbitrarily considered to be a terra of land surrounding an aqua of lake water.
 10. The game of claim 9 further comprising the revising steps of: a) allowing a player to plot a terra upon a selected space of adjacency that is already occupied by an allied house of one story, arbitrarily called a hut, thereby changing that hut into what is arbitrarily called a tower, of two stories, b) allowing every such additional plot of a terra on top of a tower to add one additional story to that existing tower.
 11. The game of claim 10, further comprising the revising steps of: after the last round of Gameboard Creation, after all players have terminated their plot clocks, Gameboard Population begins, consisting of: a) counting any complete set of connected houses sharing the player's mark of only one player as that player's allied territory, b) placing exactly one allied player's piece into each such allied territory, c) filling each and every empty space that touches any outer corner or outer side of any existing terra with a new neutral tile of selected shape, where that new neutral tile can be arbitrarily called an aqua of sea water.
 12. The game of claim 11, after the last round of Gameboard Creation, or, alternatively after the last round of Gameboard Piece Movement, before any use of a different configuration of a plot clock, further comprising the revising steps of: a) for each player plot clock already used during Gameboard Creation to create a custom gameboard, creating a table whereby: i. in each new row of the first column, listing in order from first to last, the maximum number of rounds that could have been played during the most previous session of gameboard creation, ii. in each row of the second column listing in order from lowest to highest, all of the numerals of the given plot clock, starting with 0 for Round 1, and ending with the highest numeral for the final round, iii. in each row of the third column, for each round of play where a numeral of the plot clock was selected, recording that selected plot clock numeral, and for those remaining rounds where no numeral of the plot clock was selected, recording the smallest among the remaining unselected plot clock numerals, thereby in both cases together obtaining a unique plot clock numeral, iv. in each row of the fourth column “putting” the alternate plot clock numeral of the third column “in the position” of the old plot clock numeral of the second column, b) for that player plot clock, replace the position of the old plot clock numeral with the substituted plot clock numeral.
 13. A game of gameboard piece movement whose plot compass for each piece allows players to make piece landings on a gameboard made from connected, congruent, and contiguous tiles, each a single regular polygon shape, comprising the steps of: a) determining whether a 4-sided regular polygon, or a 6-sided regular polygon, is used in the gameboard as a representative connective tile, b) assigning a unique compass direction to a subset of the set exhausting every side, corner, and extra-dimensional aspect of such a tile, thereby creating a frame compass as a template surrounding that tile, c) providing to each piece an individualized version of that template of frame compass, thereby creating apiece plot compass, d) allowing each player, during each round of simultaneous gameboard piece movement, to select one direction from each piece's plot compass, and to specify the number of spaces to be traversed, so as to move that piece from its resident tile to a targeted tile, thereby creating an ordered movement sequence, e) moving that player's piece from its resident tile to its targeted tile, according to its ordered movement sequence, thereby creating a plotted landing of that player's piece, where also i. any player's piece can be arbitrarily called a starbug, ii. any starbug under the control of a given player and displaying that player's mark can be arbitrarily called an allied starbug to that player, iii. any starbug not controlled by a given player can be arbitrarily called an enemy starbug to that player, iv. any possible landing tile or enclosed space for any starbug can be arbitrarily called a terra of land, and v. any terra created by a given player and displaying that player's mark can be arbitrarily called an allied house to that player,
 14. The game of claim 13, further comprising the revising steps of: a) eliminating any one or more compass directions from a starbug plot compass whose sequence of one or more plots land a starbug onto a targeted terra, b) preventing any starbug from plotting any action in any specific compass direction that was eliminated from its plot compass, c) allowing any one direction of an extra-dimensional aspect of a piece plot compass to be a selectable instruction to terminate that device, d) preventing any starbug from plotting any action at all when every viable compass direction has been eliminated from its plot compass, thereby requiring starbug removal from the gameboard.
 15. The game of claim 14 further comprising the revising steps of: a) constructing each starbug with detachable body parts matching, on a one-to-one basis, all of the original selectable directions of its plot compass, b) pulling off a detachable body part from a starbug, for each plot compass selection that results in a starbug's plotted action.
 16. The game of claim 15 further comprising the revising steps of: a) allowing each starbug in each round the repeatable option to engage in a series of one or more slides by selecting any original direction from the player's plot compass, whether that direction has been eliminated by a previous plot or not, to shift the player's plot compass away from its resident terra to frame anew either an allied house or Chaos, as eligible terras adjacent to that resident terra, and from there, if desired, to frame anew another such eligible terra that is so adjacent to that of the previous one, and so on, until that starbug, after all such slides are completed, plots a landing from that vantage upon a targeted terra, b) exempting any original direction from the plot compass from elimination, or from being affected by any previous elimination, for any sliding purpose.
 17. The game of claim 16 further comprising the revising steps of: a) defining a landstrand on the gameboard map as the maximum extension of a continuous chain of connected terras, along any side-to-side, or corner-to-corner, single axis of direction, b) allowing any player to move an allied starbug to plot a landing, or alternatively, to slide, from a terra at one extreme end of a landstrand to the terra that lies at the opposite extreme end of that same landstrand, as if the two extreme end-terras were directly adjacent to each other, either on a direct side-to-side connected basis, or direct corner-to-corner, connected basis.
 18. The game of claim 17 further comprising the revising steps of: if one or more starbugs, all from only a single player, plot landings onto an uncontested terra during the same round of play, then a) merging any plurality of those landing starbugs into a single starbug whose merged plot compass inherits each uneliminated plot direction only once from the collective set of plot compasses drawn from those landing starbugs, and b) occupying that uncontested terra with the resulting single starbug.
 19. The game of claim 18 further comprising the revising steps of: if at least one starbug from each of two or more players plot landings onto the same targeted terra during the same round of play, thereby creating a contested terra, then a) for each individual player, adding together the number of such allied plotted landings, thereby creating individual player sums, and b) ranking such individual player sums from highest to lowest as a basis of resolving that contested terra, whereby: i. the player with sole standing as having uniquely the highest sum from counting such allied starbug landings then wins the terra and merges all such allied starbugs within that contested terra into a single starbug that successfully occupies that terra as if it were uncontested, and ii. any player having either a tied or lower sum from counting such allied starbug landings then loses the terra and plots a retreat for each such landing starbug into any empty allied house that is adjacent to that contested terra, but, if such retreat is not possible for any such starbug, the player removes that starbug from the board of play, and c) disallowing any slides or voluntary termination for any starbug required to undertake a plotted retreat or to undertake removal from the board of play due to the impossibility of such retreat.
 20. The game of claim 19 further comprising the revising step of: a) allowing any player to select an available plot direction from the plot compass of a starbug to plot support of at least one other allied starbug plotting its own landing onto a targeted terra, if such a targeted terra is positioned adjacently to the current terra of such a supportive starbug, but b) if an enemy starbug plots a landing onto the current terra of such a supportive starbug, then all support of that allied starbug is broken and thereby nullified, and c) the broken supporter starbug must then plot a retreat into any empty allied house adjacent to its current terra, but, if such retreat is not possible, the allied player removes that broken supporter starbug from the board of play, and d) disallowing any slides or voluntary termination for any starbug required to undertake a plotted retreat or to undertake removal from the board of play due to the impossibility of such retreat.
 21. The game of claim 20, further comprising the revising step of: if starbugs of two or more players plot landings onto the same targeted terra during the same round of play, with at least one additional starbug allied with at least one such landing player successfully plotting support into that contested terra, then resolving such a contested terra, by: a) for each individual player, adding each allied starbug that is plotting a landing within the contested terra, with each such landing having a value of one, thereby creating the first final addend of obtaining an individual player sum, plus b) for each individual player, adding each allied starbug that is plotting unbroken support onto that same contested terra, with each support having a value equal to or less than one but greater than zero, thereby creating the last final addend of obtaining an individual player sum, c) for each individual player, adding these addends together to obtain each individual player sum, then ranking such player sums from highest to lowest as a basis of settling that contested terra, whereby: i. the player with sole standing as having uniquely the highest sum from such landings and unbroken supports, then wins the terra and merges all landing allied starbugs into a single starbug that successfully occupies the contested terra, as if the contested terra were uncontested, with unbroken supporters remaining in place, and ii. any player having either a tied or lower sum from such landings and supports, then loses the terra and plots a retreat for each such landing starbug into any empty allied house adjacent to the contested terra, but, if such retreat is not possible, the game removes the unretreating starbug from the board of play, with unbroken supporters remaining in place, and d) disallowing any slides or voluntary termination for any starbug required to undertake a plotted retreat or to undertake removal from the board of play due to the impossibility of such retreat.
 22. The game of claim 21 further comprising the revising steps of: a) before the first round of Gameboard Piece Movement, counting all of the unique compass directions on each starbug plot compass, but starting with 0 for the first, to 1 for the second, and so on to a highest number for the last, whereby the entire range of ascending numerals from lowest to highest is expressed in the single digits of a created base numeral system, b) assigning a unique numeral from this base numeral system to each compass direction on each starbug's plot compass, thereby creating each starbug's plot clock, where each numeral is assigned on a pairwise basis to each unique direction, c) during each round of gameboard piece movement, allowing each player to select a sequence of one or more numerals uniquely assigned to compass directions on each allied starbug's plot clock for: i. a plotted landing, ii. a plotted support, or iii. a plotted retreat.
 23. The game of claim 22 further comprising the revising steps of: if one or more starbugs with plot clocks from each of two or more players plot landings into the same contested terra during the same round of play, with starbugs allied with at least one player possibly plotting additional support, then: a) for each individual player, adding together the plot clock numerals of all such plotted landings as the initial addend, plus the plot clock numerals for any plotted supports of such landings as the final addend, as all directed upon that contested terra by allied starbugs, to obtain individual player sums, and b) ranking such individual player sums from highest to lowest as a basis of resolving that contested terra, whereby: i. the player with sole standing as having uniquely the highest sum from such landings and unbroken supports, then wins the terra and merges all landing allied starbugs into a single starbug that successfully occupies the contested terra, as if the contested terra were uncontested, with unbroken supporters remaining in place, and ii. any player having either a tied or lower sum from such landings and unbroken supports, then loses the terra and plots a retreat for each such landing starbug into any empty allied house adjacent to the contested terra, but, if such retreat is not possible, the game removes the unretreating starbug from the board of play, with unbroken supporters remaining in place, and d) disallowing any slides or voluntary termination for any starbug required to undertake a plotted retreat or to undertake removal from the board of play due to the impossibility of such retreat. 